Aug. 26, 2026

Harry and Meghan Are Back in Britain via Private Jet and The Royals and Dolly Parton

Show Notes
Transcript

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have arrived in the UK with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet—but how long are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex planning to stay? Did their private flight from California cost as much as $300,000, and what was its environmental impact?

A friend of Harry’s claims the Duke plans to remain in Britain for at least 12 to 15 years, spending his weekends watching Archie play rugby while Meghan maintains a more international career. Will Harry become a stay-at-home father? Are Archie and Lilibet attending the same British private school? And did King Charles III and Prince William know about the move months earlier?

We also examine concerns about the renewed British media attention surrounding Meghan, unconfirmed claims that the Sussex marriage is under strain, and the latest twist in Meghan’s possible role in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen. Plus: “Egg-xit” for the Montecito chickens—and the Royal Family’s musical tribute to Dolly Parton.

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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

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Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host,

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Mark Francis. Harry and Meghan are back in Britain. The

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Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in the UK Wednesday,

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with Archie and Lilibet beginning what their team has described

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as an extended period in the country. BBC News reports

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that the family flew privately from California to London, and

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landed at Birmingham Airport shortly before noon. Asked about the

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family's travel, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said, this

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is not something we would comment on. The BBC reports

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there did not appear to be a police presence as

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the Sussex family left the airport. We were curious about

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the flight and asked an expert, what does a flight

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like that actually cost? As we understand things, if the

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Sussexes chartered a long-range private jet, estimates from comparable flights

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suggest a one-way trip could cost somewhere in the neighborhood

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of $ 150, 000 to $ 300, 000. Our expert reminds us that we

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don't know what aircraft they used, whether they charted it themselves,

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or whether somebody else provided the plane. So that's a ballpark,

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not a Sussex expense report. Then there's the environmental impact.

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A flight from California is roughly 10 hours in the air,

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and depending on the aircraft, a large, long-range private jet

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could produce somewhere around 20 to 40 tonnes or more

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of carbon dioxide during a trip of that length. The

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plane doesn't suddenly burn four times as much fuel because Harry, Meghan,

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Archie and Lilibet are aboard. The issue is how few

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people are sharing the emissions. A commercial airliner might carry

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200 or 300 passengers across the Atlantic. A private jet

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might be carrying the Sussex family, some staff and the

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flight crew. Harry said in 2021, I believe even more

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that climate change and mental health are two of the

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most pressing issues that we're facing. And in many ways,

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they are linked. People, which appears to be a Sussex-friendly

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publication to many, suggests things will be different this time.

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One ally tells People, Megan has been vocal about how

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she felt about it before, but that doesn't mean things

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are going to be exactly the same again. It doesn't

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mean it can't be different and can't change. Another source

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says Megan now has to support a network that is

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stronger now than it ever was to protect her to

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protect them. but there is concern about what happens now

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that Meghan is once again living in Britain and attracting

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enormous attention from the British press. One source close to

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Meghan tells People, A friend of Harry's tells the Daily Mail, Minimum,

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He sees himself as a full-time father, and he will

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be here for them, spending every Saturday watching Archie play rugby.

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That is the agenda. He and Meghan are the best

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and most committed parents. They are the people who tell

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their kids, no tablets at the dining table. There is

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no hankering after royal status or royal engagements. It is

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not about that. He specifically doesn't want to do that.

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This is about Harry wanting what is best for them,

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and he wants them to be raised British in Britain

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and go to a public school That is what the

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move is about. Interestingly, this friend said, The king has

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been well aware of what Harry wanted for some time,

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and on their visit in July, he knows that they

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were looking around schools. William has also been aware for

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six months there is no question of anyone being blindsided.

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The Mail's report states Archie and Lilibet will attend the

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same private school. Archie is expected to enter year three

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in September as a day boarder. That means he will

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remain at school beyond the normal school day for activities

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and other parts of boarding school life. but return home

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each evening rather than sleep at the school. Lilibet will

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reportedly attend the same establishment joining its pre-prep, or infants' school.

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The arrangement would put both Sussex children at one school

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while allowing Harry and Meghan to have them home each night.

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Speculation is that Harry will be a stay-at-home dad while

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Meghan is international. Gossip columnist Rob Shooter reported last week

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that the Sussex marriage is under serious strain. Shooter wrote,

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I'm told Meghan did not want to return and remains

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deeply uncomfortable with the idea. Harry, however, is miserable in

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California and increasingly unhappy with the life they have built

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in Montecito. That unhappiness is now putting enormous strain on

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their marriage. They are not in a good place. Harry

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is deeply unhappy and Meghan knows she cannot keep asking

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him to live a life that is making him miserable.

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Shooter also quoted a source who said, Meghan is not

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doing this because she wants to. She is doing it

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because she believes she has to. She does not want

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to lose Harry, and she knows something has to change.

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There is no public confirmation from Harry or Meghan that

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their marriage is in trouble, so these claims remain just that,

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claims from Shooter and his source. Daily Beast journalist Tom

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Sykes picked up on a Times description of Harry and

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Meghan as an international couple. Sykes wrote, The Times source

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describes them as an international couple. I suspect it may

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turn out to be more of an International person, then.

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That the international person is Megan. Vanity tried to untangle

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the reports about Megan potentially returning to acting in Guy

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Ritchie's Netflix series The Gentleman, and the answer appears to

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be somewhere between it was never a real role and

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don't rule it out. The rumors arrived at an awkward

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moment for Netflix. The streamer was preparing to promote season

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two of The Gentleman, which launches September 3rd, along with

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the announcement that the series has been renewed for a

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third season. Instead, much of the attention went to Megan.

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According to what Variety describes as a well-placed source with

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knowledge of the situation, Megan's involvement began as an incredibly

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nascent concept that was hardly real on any level. The

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source says Guy Ritchie mentioned Megan during brainstorming, along with

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what was described as a smorgasbord of names. This apparently

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happened before Harry and Megan announced that they would spend

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an extended period in Britain. Both Megan and Richie are

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represented by WME, potentially providing a route through which the

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idea could have travelled. Variety's source also wonders whether Megan's

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representatives may have helped the story along as a way

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of signalling that she is available for acting work. I

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am stunned if this isn't coming from her camp, the

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source said. The scripts for Season 3 are still being written,

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and Variety reports that Megan's potential involvement is not necessarily dead.

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If Ritchie and co-writer Matthew Reed decide they want her,

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a role could still be created. Variety's source said, I

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wouldn't rule out it happening. Guy Ritchie apparently may be

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less bothered. I'm sure he loves this on some level,

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the source said. He loves mayhem. Megan made her first

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personal social media appearance since news of the Sussexes' UK

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move broke, but rather than address the relocation, she posted

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a joke about chickens. On Instagram Stories, Megan shared video

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of her tea towel decorated with chickens, and the line,

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People who take care of chickens are literally chicken tenders,

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while chicken fried by the Zac Brown band played in

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the background. The timing is notable because reports say the

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Sussexes' family rescue chickens will remain at their Montecito home

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when Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet head to Britain. Staff

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are expected to care for the birds at Archie's Chick Inn,

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while the family's dogs, rescue beagle Mia and black Labrador Pula,

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are reportedly making the move. Some are calling the decision

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to leave the chickens behind exit. More palace in just

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a moment. The royal family has joined the tributes to

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Dolly Parton following the country music legend's death at the

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age of 80. The royal family's official social media account

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shared a video remembering Parton and highlighted not only her

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music but her extensive charitable work. The message read, Remembering

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the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration

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to so many, including the millions of children given free

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books through her imagination library, we will always love you.

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That final line is a reference to one of Parton's

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most famous songs, I Will Always Love You. There was

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also a musical tribute to Dolly Parton right outside Buckingham Palace.

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During Wednesday's Changing of the Guard ceremony, the military band

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performed Parton's classic Nine to Five. Parton had a long

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history with the royal family, She famously performed at the

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Royal Variety Performance in 1977, where she met Queen Elizabeth II.

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Decades later, she was invited to tea with Catherine, Princess

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of Wales, during a visit to Britain, but turned down

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the invitation because of her work schedule. Parton later joked

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about the missed opportunity, saying, She wasn't going to promote

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my rock album, so I had to say no. There

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you have it. If you'd like to email us, our

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address is thepalaceintriga.gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment.

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month commercial free. We appreciate your support tremendously. I'm Mark Francis.

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My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.

Harry and Meghan Are Back in Britain via Private Jet and The Royals and Dolly Parton

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