Six years after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped away from royal duties and built a new life in California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are preparing for another major change.

This time, they are heading back to Britain — and they are bringing their children with them.

Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, plan to relocate with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to a home outside London for an extended period, according to Reuters. The children are expected to attend school in Britain beginning in September. The couple will remain non-working members of the royal family and are not expected to move into a royal residence.

The decision represents a remarkable reversal after years in which Harry repeatedly described Britain as a place where he did not feel he could safely bring his family.

But the move also raises a much more personal question.

Harry appears to be moving closer to his father, King Charles, at a moment when their relationship has shown signs of improvement.

His relationship with his older brother, Prince William, is another matter entirely.

The brothers will soon be geographically much closer.

There is little indication, however, that the emotional distance between them has disappeared.

Six Years After Leaving, Harry Is Coming Back

Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal life began in 2020, less than two years after their highly watched wedding at Windsor Castle.

The couple stepped away from their roles as senior working royals and eventually settled in Montecito, California, where they raised Archie and Lilibet largely outside the daily orbit of the monarchy.

Their departure was followed by years of highly public disagreements.

In interviews, their Netflix documentary series and Harry’s memoir Spare, the Sussexes described conflicts with the royal institution, British newspapers and members of Harry’s own family.

Harry’s relationships with both Charles and William deteriorated during that period.

He also became locked in a long-running dispute over security arrangements in Britain, arguing that the absence of automatic police protection made it difficult for him to safely bring Meghan and the children to his home country.

That history makes the family’s planned return particularly striking.

According to Reuters, Harry and Meghan intend to keep their California property even as they establish themselves in Britain for an extended period.

So this does not necessarily mean the Sussexes are abandoning America entirely.

But for Archie and Lilibet, going to school in Britain would create a much deeper connection to their father’s homeland than they have previously experienced.

Archie and Lilibet Could Now Grow Up Closer to Their Royal Family

Archie was still an infant when Harry and Meghan began their move away from royal life.

Lilibet was born in California in 2021.

For most of their childhoods, both children have lived thousands of miles from their grandfather King Charles, their uncle Prince William and aunt Catherine, and their royal cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

That could now change.

Reports say Archie and Lilibet are expected to begin attending a British school in September after the family relocates to a non-royal home outside London.

The move comes after another significant development within the family.

Last month, Harry and Meghan visited Britain with both children, and Charles saw his grandchildren for the first time since 2022, according to Reuters.

That meeting followed signs that the relationship between Harry and his father had begun to improve.

For a family whose disagreements have played out publicly for years, the return could give Charles something that interviews and phone calls cannot provide: more regular physical proximity to his youngest son’s children.

Charles and Harry Appear to Be Moving in a Better Direction

The relationship between Harry and Charles has been badly strained at different points since the Sussexes left royal duties.

Harry publicly criticized aspects of his upbringing and the monarchy, while the family largely avoided responding in detail.

But the atmosphere has recently appeared less hostile.

Reuters reported that Charles and Harry had previously met after a long period apart, and the king has since had renewed contact with Harry’s family. Reports also indicated that Charles welcomed the possibility of having his younger son and grandchildren closer.

That does not mean every disagreement has been resolved.

Harry and Meghan will not resume their old positions as working royals. Their move does not restore the arrangement they had before 2020, and they will not be living inside a royal property.

In that sense, their return appears to be something different: an attempt to live in Britain without returning to the royal system they once left.

The bigger uncertainty involves William.

Harry Will Be Closer to William — but the Rift Remains

Harry and William were once seen publicly as two brothers permanently bonded by the shared trauma of losing their mother, Princess Diana.

Over the years, that image has changed dramatically.

Harry described deeply personal clashes with William in Spare, including an alleged physical confrontation. He has also criticized how the royal institution operated while William has remained firmly inside it as heir to the throne.

Reuters reported that despite improving relations with Charles, Harry remains barely on speaking terms with his brother.

That makes the return to Britain especially intriguing.

For years, the Atlantic Ocean provided a literal distance between Diana’s two sons.

Now that distance could shrink to a relatively short drive.

Yet living closer does not automatically create reconciliation.

Harry’s return could create more opportunities for private meetings, family gatherings and contact between their children.

It could just as easily create new tensions.

William and Catherine have remained central working members of the monarchy through years in which Harry and Meghan publicly criticized the institution. A former senior royal aide quoted by Reuters suggested that the Sussexes’ return could therefore be difficult for the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Security Has Not Simply Disappeared as an Issue

There is also a practical complication that has followed Harry for years: protection for his family.

After leaving royal duties, Harry lost the automatic level of taxpayer-funded police security he once received in Britain.

He fought that change in court and repeatedly argued that security concerns prevented him from comfortably bringing his children back.

The family’s planned relocation therefore raises obvious questions about how their protection will work once Britain again becomes part of their daily lives.

When asked whether taxpayers would cover the couple’s security, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the issue as a private matter for Harry and Meghan and wished them well.

Exactly how the arrangement will operate has not been publicly detailed.

This Is a Return, but Not a Return to the Old Royal Life

Harry and Meghan are coming back to a country they left after one of the most dramatic royal ruptures in modern memory.

But they are not coming back as the Duke and Duchess who once stood alongside William and Catherine at official engagements.

They will remain non-working royals.

They will live outside a royal residence.

And they will continue to have careers and interests separate from the monarchy.

What has changed most may be their children’s place in the story.

Archie and Lilibet are old enough for school now. Their grandfather is older and has been undergoing cancer treatment. Years spent apart cannot be recovered.

Moving to Britain gives the family something they have not had during most of the children’s lives: proximity.

Whether that proximity heals anything remains unknown.

For Charles, it could mean more time with grandchildren he has rarely seen.

For Harry, it could mean rebuilding a connection to the country he once felt forced to leave.

And for William, it means the younger brother with whom he remains estranged will suddenly be much closer.

After six years in California, Harry is bringing his family home.

The move may close thousands of miles of distance.

The harder question is whether it can close the distance inside the royal family.