{"id":107679,"date":"2026-08-20T18:55:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T18:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/107679\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T18:55:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T18:55:15","slug":"all-the-hints-prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-dropped-about-moving-back-to-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/107679\/","title":{"rendered":"All the Hints Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Dropped About Moving Back to the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated5 min read<\/p>\n

The announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are relocating to the United Kingdom with their children<\/a> came as a shock to many. But looking back over the past year, the couple had been leaving a trail of clues that suggested the move might be coming. From Harry\u2019s comments in interviews to Britain to potential Easter eggs in Meghan\u2019s Instagram photos, the signs might have been there. Here is a look at some of the moments that, in retrospect, pointed toward the news.<\/p>\n

Prince Harry wrote several letters about Britain.<\/p>\n

One clear signal came in November 2025, when the Duke of Sussex published an emotional essay<\/a>, titled \u201cThe Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What it means to be British,\u201d ahead of Remembrance Day describing his deep connection to the country. \u201cThough currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for,\u201d Harry wrote. \u201cThe banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands\u2014ridiculous as it sounds, these are the things that make us British. I make no apology for it. I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In May 2026, he wrote a second piece, this time for The New Statesman<\/a>, addressing the rise in antisemitism in Britain following a stabbing in Golders Green. \u201cBritain has long prided itself on valuing reason over outrage, dialogue over division and civility over noise,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAt moments like these, those values matter more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prince Harry talked about it with a famous friend.<\/p>\n

As noted by People<\/a>, at the WellChild Awards in London last September<\/a>, Prince Harry struck up a conversation with longtime friend Joss Stone, who had recently returned to the UK with her own family after years in Nashville. (The British singer previously attended Harry and Meghan\u2019s wedding at Windsor Castle<\/a> in 2018.) He reportedly asked her about the experience of moving home and was particularly interested in what it had meant for her children and their schooling. \u201cHe was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children,\u201d Stone later told Hello<\/a>. She added: \u201cMaybe Harry will move back too. That would be nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PrinceWPA Pool\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Joss Stone at St. George\u2019s Chapel for Harry and Meghan\u2019s wedding.<\/p>\n

Harry publicly rebuked Trump.<\/p>\n

In January 2026, President Trump suggested in a Fox News interview that NATO allies had \u201cstayed a little off the front lines\u201d in Afghanistan. Prince Harry, a combat veteran of two Afghan tours, responded with a stern, but formal statement<\/a>. \u201cI served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there,\u201d he said. \u201cThe United Kingdom alone had 457 service personnel killed.\u201d The rebuttal was pointed and very public, and it placed him clearly on the side of Britain and its allies in a dispute with the U.S. president. People<\/a> later noted in its report on the UK move that the couple had \u201cmade no secret of their disillusionment with the current White House.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prince Archie was spotted in an England football shirt.<\/p>\n

In June 2026, Meghan posted a Father\u2019s Day photograph<\/a> showing Harry and Archie together, with the seven-year-old wearing an England football shirt. The Duke of Sussex later expressed his sorrow over the Three Lions\u2019 semifinal loss to Argentina while at the Time100 Sports Gala in July<\/a>, although he did not attend the World Cup at all (nor did any other member of the British royal family).<\/p>\n

Prince Harry also shared his love of English football on James Corden\u2019s After Hours<\/a> show for Fox Sports during the tournament, during which he declared British beer better than American counterparts and called out the host for referring to the sport as \u201csoccer.\u201d He also took part in ranking Britain\u2019s four top \u201cHarrys\u201d, placing himself third behind Harry Styles and Harry Kane but ahead of Harry Potter.<\/p>\n

The couple publicly backed UK online safety legislation.\"InaugurationHarold Cunningham\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Meghan speaking at an event related to social media safety in Geneva in May.<\/p>\n

In May, the Duchess of Sussex traveled to Switzerland<\/a> to attend the inauguration of a memorial dedicated to children who have lost their lives as a result of online abuse. The couple have long been outspoken on the issue of children\u2019s safety online through their charitable organization, Archewell Philanthropies.<\/p>\n

The following month, the couple issued a joint statement<\/a> welcoming new UK government measures to protect children online, writing on their official website: \u201cLasting change requires safer platforms by design, meaningful accountability, and a commitment to putting children\u2019s wellbeing ahead of engagement and profit. The burden cannot rest solely on parents and children. It must also be borne by the companies. Until then, every day without meaningful change is another day that children remain exposed to preventable harm.\u201d The statement aligned them policy debates that are growing in the UK and European Union, and the fact that they were paying close enough attention to British domestic legislation to issue a formal response was itself a signal of where their attention was turning.<\/p>\n

Harry described himself as \u201cPrince of England.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a July appearance on a podcast<\/a> hosted by former English rugby player Joe Marler (and also one of the standout stars of Celebrity Traitors UK<\/a>), Harry was asked his occupation. His response? \u201cPrince of England,\u201d \u201cDuke,\u201d and \u201cfull time dad.\u201d Not your average answer\u2014at least not the first two. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex ceased using the HRH title<\/a> as non-working royals in 2020.<\/p>\n

The family reunited with King Charles.\"TheMark Cuthbert\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Prince Harry playing pickleball at an Invictus Games event in Birmingham.<\/p>\n

The couple had a busy summer. The family made their most significant UK visit since 2022 this past July, returning for Harry to mark one year<\/a> until the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham. But the trip also included an unexpected private reunion with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove, where the King met Archie and Lilibet for the first time<\/a> in four years. Meghan also made her first appearance in the UK since Queen Elizabeth\u2019s funeral in 2022. For a couple who had not traveled to Britain together in years, the July visit looked very much like a trial run. (That said, T&C understands that King Charles only found out<\/a> about the Duke and Duchess\u2019s intended move on Sunday and that this was not discussed when he saw the family on their trip to the UK last month.)<\/p>\n

The Sussexes enjoyed a late summer vacation in Europe.<\/p>\n

The \u201csummer holiday\u201d Instagram post signaled a shift in how the family was spending its time\u2014and where. Meghan shared a series of snapshots to Instagram<\/a> from the family vacation to Portugal in August, and the couple have reportedly purchased a vacation home there. While the People report noted that the couple would be keeping their Montecito home, a Portugal vacation home makes more sense to frequent when you\u2019re based out of Europe rather than the west coast of the United States.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Rachel King (she\/her) is a news writer at\u00a0Town & Country. Before joining\u00a0T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at\u00a0Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in\u00a0Forbes,\u00a0Observer,\u00a0Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and\u00a0Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at\u00a0@rk.passport<\/a>.<\/p>\n