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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the United Kingdom, ending a six year stint of living in the United States. They left the UK in March 2020, on what Harry called a “freedom flight,” and in the years since, spoke often of their love for their new community in Montecito, California. Here, look back at their move to the U.S., a look ahead to the move to the UK, and all of their visits in between:
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The Sussexes in January 2020.
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” Prince Harry and Meghan wrote in a bombshell statement. They detailed their plans to not only split their time between North America and United Kingdom, but also to “work to become financially independent.”
Following the “Sandringham Summit,” which saw Prince Harry meet with Queen Elizabeth, then-Prince Charles, and Prince William to discuss their future, Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the Sussexes will be “required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments. They will no longer receive public funds for Royal duties.” Queen Elizabeth also noted: “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family.”
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The royals at the 2020 Commonwealth Day Service.
Before they stepped back as senior working royals, they attended the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey with Queen Elizabeth, then-Prince Charles, Prince William, Kate, and other members of the royal family.
“Until that last week in the UK, I rarely wore color,” Meghan later said in Harry and Meghan in Netflix. “I never wanted to upstage or ruffle any feathers. So I just tried to blend in.” But of her wardrobe for that final run of engagements—a collection of looks including a turquoise Victoria Beckham dress, red Safiyaa cape dress, and the above green Emilia Wickstead look—she said, “I wore a lot of color that week. I just felt like, ‘Let’s just look like a rainbow.’”
March 2020: The Sussexes move to California.
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Meghan and Tyler Perry in 2024.
In late 2019, the Sussexes vacationed on Canada’s Vancouver Island, and after announcing their decision to step back as senior working royals in January 2020, they returned to the island. After Canada announced that it would stop contributing to their security costs when their royal transition took effect at the end of March, Prince Harry, Meghan, and baby Archie moved to Los Angeles into a home owned by Tyler Perry. The finale of their Harry & Meghan docuseries offered new details about the couple’s relationship with Perry. The filmmaker sent Meghan a letter ahead of her wedding to Harry, expressing his sympathy regarding her public estrangement from her father, Thomas Markle. “He said he was praying for me, and if I ever need anything, he would be there,” Meghan said. She later reached out to him amid their departure from the UK, and they stayed at his Beverly Hills mansion for six weeks.
Harry and Meghan purchased a property in Montecito, located in Santa Barbara county in California. A spokesperson told T&C at the time, “They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors as well as for them as a family.”
February 2021: Queen Elizabeth confirms the Sussexes will not return as working royals.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement, “Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family.”
The Palace added that Harry and Meghan “remain much loved members of the family.”
March 2021: Harry and Meghan publicly discuss their decision to move for the first time.
During a sit-down interview with Oprah, the Sussexes spoke about why they left the UK. Harry cited a “lack of support and lack of understanding” from the royal institution as well as relentless pressure from the British press.
June 2022: They return to the UK with their children for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.
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The couple at a service of thanksgiving for the Platinum Jubilee at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Harry and Meghan brought their children to the UK for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and then-Prince Charles spent time with the Sussexes. “It was a fantastic visit and of course the Prince was delighted to see his grandson and meet his granddaughter for the first time,” a royal source said at the time.
September 2022: The Sussexes return to the UK again—first for engagements, then for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
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Harry and Meghan visit Queen Elizabeth’s coffin as it lies in state in Westminster Hall inside the Palace of Westminster.
The Sussexes traveled to Europe to visit several charities in September 2022, a trip which then turned into a longer stay in the UK after Queen Elizabeth passed away. Following his grandmother’s death, Prince Harry participated in a vigil, standing watch beside her coffin with his cousins, and the Sussexes joined William and Kate to visit a flower memorial to the Queen in Windsor.
“Granny, while this final parting brings us great sadness, I am forever grateful for all of our first meetings—from my earliest childhood memories with you, to meeting you for the first time as my Commander-in-Chief, to the first moment you met my darling wife and hugged your beloved great-grandchildren,” Harry wrote in a tribute to his grandmother.
March 2023: The Sussexes decide to use titles for their children.
When King Charles became king, Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor immediately became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet as grandchildren of the reigning monarch, following the 1917 Letters Patent. Half a year later, Harry and Meghan confirmed they were using titles for their children when announcing news of Princess Lilibet’s christening in Los Angeles.
Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly extended an invite to King Charles, Queen Camila, Prince William, and Kate Middleton for the christening, but they did not attend.
May 2023: Harry goes to King Charles’s coronation solo.
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Harry smiles at his aunt Princess Anne during the coronation.
The Duke of Sussex attended his father’s coronation by himself; Meghan remained in California with their children. He returned home promptly for Prince Archie’s 4th birthday, which was on the same day as the coronation.
June 2023: Harry and Meghan move out of Frogmore Cottage.
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A view of Frogmore Cottage.
After their wedding, Harry and Meghan were given Frogmore Cottage by Queen Elizabeth, and refurbished the property through the Sovereign Grant. They since repaid the entire cost of the renovation. When Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals, it was shared that they would keep Frogmore Cottage as a UK residence “so that their family will always have a place to call home in the United Kingdom.”
However, King Charles asked the Sussexes to move out of their Frogmore Cottage home in 2023; a spokesperson for the Sussexes confirmed to T&C that “the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” and Buckingham Palace confirmed in June they had officially moved out.
February 2024: Harry flies to London after learning of King Charles’s cancer diagnosis.
A day after Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had cancer, Prince Harry took a redeye from Los Angeles to visit his father. He spent around 30 to 45 minutes with his father at Clarence House, before Charles, along with Camilla, departed for Buckingham Palace to take a helicopter to Sandringham. Harry soon returned to California.
July 2026: Harry and Meghan bring their children to the UK.
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The family of four pictured in December 2025 for their holiday card.
Prince Harry and Meghan brought their children to the UK to meet with King Charles. The family reunited at Highgrove, Buckingham Palace confirmed. No photos were shared of the family reunion.
August 2026: Their move to the UK is announced.
The Sussexes are set to move back to the UK this month, with their children starting school in the UK in early September. While back in the UK, Meghan will reportedly return to acting (possibly in The Gentleman), and Harry will continue to focus on his charity work.
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Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.