Aug. 20, 2026

Why Are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Moving Back to the UK? What Changed After Megxit

Show Notes
Transcript

Why are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moving back to Britain after six years in California? New reporting offers clues about the Sussexes’ surprise return with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, including their desire to raise their children with stronger ties to Britain, possible movement in Harry’s long-running security dispute, a new British home and school, and Harry’s improving relationship with King Charles. We examine reports that Harry and Meghan hoped to keep the move secret for another week or two, whether their return could create competing centers of royal influence around Harry and Prince William, why Jennie Bond is warning against a “pile-on” against Meghan, and what has actually changed since Megxit. Plus, Harry appears in Washington hours after the news breaks — and looks remarkably happy doing it.

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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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Ah Caloroga, Shark Media, how Lo and welcome to Palace Intrigue.

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I am your host, Mark Francis. The morning brought a

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few genuinely new angles around Harry and Meghan's return to Britain.

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The most important may be the suggestion that the Sussexes

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had hoped to keep the move secret until they were

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much closer to actually arriving. Victoria Ward, the Daily Telegraph

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Deputy royal editor who broke the story, told Skaine News

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she had known about the plan for quite a long time.

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Ward said, I think they were hoping to keep it

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under wraps for another week or two until they were

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actually here. But the cats out of the bag and

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therefore they were forced to tell the King, maybe slightly

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earlier than they even wanted to. Former BBC Royal correspondent

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Peter Hunt raised the possibility that Britain could eventually find

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itself with what he described as two competing centers of

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royal influence. Hunter said, in the long term, the return

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of the Sussexes to the UK opens up the prospective

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to rival courts Williams and Harry's. In the short term,

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Harry will be able to deepen his reproachment with his father.

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Harry's presence back home will make it harder for his

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brother to duck a reconciliation. The surprise return of Harry

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and Meghan is likely to have left William a pop

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electic royal inside a deep Crown disagrees, telling Pallace intrigue

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from the people I've spoken to this morning, William is

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not a pop electic. He has his own family, his

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own path, and a press corps that will now spend

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the autumn following the Sussexes rather than him. Meanwhile, former

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BBC Royal correspondent Jenny Bond is warning against what she

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believes could become a backlash directed primarily at Meghan. Bond

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told Sky News, I think we should beware a pile

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on Meghan in particular, and I can see that already happening.

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This is the decision they've made, probably for the sake

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of their children as much as for Harry. Perhaps Meghan

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is taking one for the team here because I'm not

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sure this is her life's desire to live back in

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the UK. Bond also raised another possibility following Harry's visit

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to Allthorpe last month. She suggested Harry may have discussed

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the decision with Princess Diana's relatives before making the move.

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Bond said Harry has remained throughout close to the Spencer

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side of the family, his two aunts, Diana's sisters, and

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his uncle her brothren. Perhaps he talked the move through

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with them. She even wondered whether Harry and Meghan's new

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home could be closer to the Spencers than previously assumed.

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Maybe he's going to live up their way. Again. We

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don't know, and I think that's a shame because we're

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all left speculating. Prime Minister Andy Burnham was asked whether

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the government would cover protection for the Duke and Duchess

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of Sussex once they are living in Britain again. Berman

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declined to get into the detail, saying it's a matter

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for Harry and Meghan and we wish them well in

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the move that they're making. Security has been one of

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the central issues surrounding Harry's relationship with Britain since he

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and Meghan stopped working as senior royals in twenty twenty.

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Royal expert Robert Hartman believes at least some of Harry's

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security concerns may have been resolved, although nobody is saying

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exactly what has changed or who would pay for protection.

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One other genuinely timely wrinkle, Harry's return story is unfolding,

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just as the legal consequences from his failed Daily Mail

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case continue. The BBC says a High Court judges due

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to rule Friday on how much of associated newspaper's costs

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Harry must pay. So what changed? Why are the return

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The historian Ed Owens tells The New York Times Harry

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and Meghan they want their children to grow up as

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British citizens as much as Americans. They want their children

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to imbibe the tradition, culture, history, heritage of their father's country.

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Of course, there are other factors at play here. Camillatomony

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writes in the Telegraph. Not since Bobby Ewing stepped out

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of this shower in Dallas have we been forced to

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perform such a double take. Yet, when you get over

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the shock of it, when you come to terms with

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the pure cheek of it, is it actually all that surprising.

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Note how they're keeping their California pad just in case,

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half in, half out. It's what they've always wanted. No

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wonder they are not taking an official royal role. Far

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better to be able to cash in on your royal

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status without the men in gray suits breathing down your

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brass neck. Make no mistake, though, if it happens as advertised,

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this will be a humiliation for a pair about whom

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a hagiography was written called Finding Freedom, having been ditched

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by Netflix and Spotify, whose senior executive described them as grifters,

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The Duchess now resembles something closer to tax exile Rod

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Stewart taking an lax flight to Stanstead once the American

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dream became a nightmare, which is what makes this decision

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or the more intriguing. It's a risk for Harry, but

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at least he was born here and into the most

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noble family in the land. No less, Megan is not

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only having to return to a country she never think

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home in, but also having to sacrifice her much a

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centered sanctuary to do it. Furthermore, there is no guarantee

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of a warm reception, quite the opposite, in fact, and

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regardless of whatever happened to that dog bowl, is Harry's

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seriously expecting William to be eagerly awaiting his arrival like

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a puppy tail wagging frantically at the front door. Whether

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he is or he isn't, you can bet your bottom

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dollar that every twist and turn on the regnant roller

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coaster will be documented for the highest bidder for itv

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Chris Ship writes. To say that this is an unexpected

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development is quite the understatement when you recall all the

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things the Sussexes said in books on Netflix into Oprah

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Winfrey about their unhappy life in Harry's country of birth.

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But right now they have a house sorted, a school arranged,

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and the king has been told. Apparently he was the

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very first to be made aware, even if that was

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just a few days ago. Harry has made a big

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fuss about the protection he gets in the UK, and

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even took his father's government to court over the issue.

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I hear there is some movement on the issue, but

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it's unclear what exactly that is. However, the big change

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to the factors at play in this complex area is

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that Harry and Meghan will now be UK residents. Previously,

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the government committee that decides security for high profile royals

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and politicians had used their residency in California as one

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of the reasons for the family not getting taxpayer funded security.

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Things are already moving as far as that is concerned,

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and it's safe to assume that Harry and Meghan would

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not have made this decision without some positive feedback in

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that area. Additionally, the King's Principal Private Secretary, Sir Clive Alderton,

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has announced he is retiring next year. Sir Clive was

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one of the men in gray suits with whom Harry

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clashed so badly and referred to as the Wasp in

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his memoir Spare. So this is not Harry and Meghan

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rejoining the royal family as you might read today. It

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is not reverse meg set. Apart from the geographical change,

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more palasing just a moment, Harry was showing flashes of

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his old, playful public persona during an appearance in Washington,

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just hours after news broke of his return home. Harry

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joined veterans, military spouses, defense officials, and charity leaders for

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an eighty minute round table organized by the Independence Fund,

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which supports critically wounded service members. Harry said the world

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needs more heroes, and it's not about creating more heroes

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because they already live among us. It's about being able

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to really value their expertise, their experiences. Harry also revealed

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that he was exploring what he described as a commercial

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solution that would really value those who served, rather than

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expect them to volunteer. Harry did not discuss his family's

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reported move back to Britain, there was plenty of attention

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being paid to his demeanor. Body language expert Judy James

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told The Express that Harry appeared noticeably energized and comfortable.

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James said, the eyes are the most telling feature of

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the human body, with a thousand subtle ways to express emotion,

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and it's impossible to miss the gleam of focus, energy, excitement,

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and motivation from Harry's piercing ie expressions here as he

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speaks and mingles at a veterans round table. Since the

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rift with his family, we've seen moments when Harry's eye

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expressions have appeared haunted and anxious. Here, though, there is

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a projected energy where the crescent shape creases at the

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sides of his eyes as he smiles as a result

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of the raising and the rounding of the cheeks that

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signal authentic excitement and happiness. There may, of course, be

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a simpler explanation. Harry was surrounded by veterans, a community

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in which he has long appeared particularly comfortable. A more

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catty commenter might simply observe Megan wasn't there, and that

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the old Harry tends to show up when Megan isn't around,

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

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John McDermott. This is Palace Intriguing kod times mmm

Why Are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Moving Back to the UK? What Changed After Megxit

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