In his 2023 memoir Spare, he shared that he considered escaping to a group of Norwegian islands in the Arctic Ocean just weeks before Prince William married Kate Middleton<\/a> in April 2011.\u00a0<\/p>\n Harry<\/a> wrote in the book: \u201cMy plane landed on an archipelago called Svalbard. March 2011. Stepping off the plane, I did a slow turn, taking it all in. White, white, and more white. As far as the eye could see, nothing but ivory, snowy whiteness. White mountains, white snowdrifts, white hills, and threaded through it were narrow white roads, and not many of those. Most of the two thousand local residents had a snowmobile, not a car.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe landscape was so minimalist, so spare, I thought: Maybe I\u2019ll move here. Maybe this is my purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, of course, Harry decided against moving to Svalbard. Located about halfway between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole, it\u2019s home to a range of Arctic animals, including polar bears, something that put him off.\u00a0<\/p>\n I thought: Maybe I\u2019ll move here. Maybe this is my purpose.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cI found out about the local law forbidding anyone to leave town without a gun, because the hills beyond were patrolled by desperately hungry polar bears,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd I thought: Maybe not.\u201d<\/p>\n Harry has travelled around the world over the years. Notably, he spent time in Afghanistan while in the British Army<\/a>, and has frequently visited Africa \u2013 including South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana \u2013 often for charity work.\u00a0<\/p>\n He and Meghan considered living in South Africa together for a while, too, with the plan even signed off by Queen Elizabeth II. The couple were trying to work out how to stay as working royals but live somewhere else for part of the year. And Cape Town was on the list.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if we could spend at least part of each year somewhere far away, still doing work for the Queen, but beyond the reach of the press?\u201d he wrote in Spare. \u201cFree. Free from the British press, free from the drama, free from the lies. But also free from the supposed \u2018public interest\u2019 that was used to justify the frenzied coverage of us.<\/p>\n \u201cThe question was\u2026where? We talked about New Zealand. We talked about South Africa. Half the year in Cape Town, maybe? That could work. Away from the drama, but closer to my conservation work \u2013 and to eighteen other Commonwealth countries. I\u2019d run the idea by Granny once before. She\u2019d even signed off on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, they moved to Meghan\u2019s native US instead, where they\u2019re raising their children. However, Harry came back to the UK for a few days earlier this month amid rumours of reconciliation between the Duke of Sussex and his family.\u00a0<\/p>\n He met his father, King Charles, during the trip, and they enjoyed a \u201cprivate tea\u201d<\/a> for just under an hour. <\/p>\n It\u2019s also been reported that he visited the Duke of Kent<\/a>, following the death of his wife, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, on September 4, to offer his condolences in person.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, reports that he and Meghan are considering returning to the UK with their children<\/a> have been shut down, with a source close to the duke denying the plans.<\/p>\n Read more:\u00a0Prince Harry hits back at claims he\u2019s \u2018trying to drive wedge\u2019 between King Charles and William<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/William-Kate-Wedding-1024x742.jpg\")
Harry considered moving weeks before William and Kate\u2019s wedding (Credit: Cover Images)
\nPrince Harry was tempted by Svalbard<\/p>\n\n
![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Harry-Meghan-Cape-Town-1024x786.jpg\")
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Cape Town in 2019 (Credit: Cover Images)
\nHarry and Meghan considered South Africa move<\/p>\n