Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have returned to the U.K. with their children, settling into a private home base on an extended stay.
The Duchess of Sussex shared a first look at her family’s relocation to the U.K. through a Sept. 13 Instagram post. In a Sunday, Sept. 13, Instagram post, the Duchess of Sussex, 45, shared a video highlighting life in England after she and husband Prince Harry, 41, recently returned with their children, son Prince Archie, 7, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 5, and their dogs, Pula and Mia. At the start of the 35-second clip, Meghan and Harry can be seen walking hand in hand outdoors, before the video transitions to scenes of what appear to be Lilibet’s feet before a fireplace and Meghan splashing around in a muddy puddle. Throughout the entire video, two emojis are placed at the top: one of a British flag and another of a red heart.
The footage also shows five-year-old Princess Lilibet riding a bicycle while seven-year-old Prince Archie cheers her on with a British accent, exclaiming, “Go! Go!before running beside her. Wham's
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” then starts to play, as more outdoorsy recordings, including Harry, Archie and Lilibet fishing on a boat, are featured.
Meghan Markle Shares First Video Since Returning to the
Family Relocation Plans and Daily Life in Britain
Meghan and Harry arrived in the U.K. on Aug. 26, just a week after PEOPLE revealed that they were relocating to Harry’s home country with their family for an extended period. A source told PEOPLE that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent their last weekend before their move to the U.K. with close friends, including those of their children and Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland.
Following the move, a source close to Harry and Meghan told PEOPLE that settling the children has been, and remains, their focus.
Everything else will fall into place when the time is right,
the insider continued. There is a lot to do. They have just moved halfway across the world, and it's been really busy getting the kids settled. Their focus has been on that, and will remain on that.
The Sussex family plans to make a private, non-royal residence in the U.K. their home base for an extended period, with Archie and Lilibet attending school in Britain. A representative for Prince Harry and Meghan insisted the couple has no plans to resume royal duties.
Meghan Markle's charity 'very excited' to welcome her back
Charity Patronages and Career Speculation in London
As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex settle into life back in the UK ahead of the new school term next week, questions have been raised about what Meghan will be doing. The former Suits star, 45, is reportedly making a “big return” to acting while in the UK and made headlines last week after reports linked her to series three of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix show, The Gentlemen. The streaming giant has since denied rumours of her joining the show, but speculation around Meghan’s UK career remains high, and VF is told a deal is still on the table.
Meanwhile, organizations associated with the Duchess are responding to her return. One organisation thrilled to see the Duchess’ return is a charity dear to her heart, Smart Works, which the mother-of-two has remained a patron since 2019. Smart Works is a UK charity that helps unemployed women gain the confidence, clothes, and skills they need to secure a job, and Meghan has continued to support the organisation from the US while away from the UK. Meghan even launched her own Smart Works capsule collection in 2019. A representative from the Charity told HELLO! Smart Works are very excited to welcome the Duchess and her family back to the UK.
Smart Works is thought to be the only UK charity Meghan is still a patron of. In 2021, she relinquished her role as patron of the National Theatre, and was also patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities and Vice President of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust; both were relinquished in 2021 after her departure from the UK and the royal family in 2020.
Meghan also worked closely with animal welfare charity Mayhew. The As Ever creator was heavily involved with the organization, which works to improve life for dogs, cats and the people in our community – at our home in London and internationally.
Introduced to Mayhew in 2019 by animal behaviourist Oli Juste, Meghan served as its Royal Patron until April 2022.
Prince William, Kate break silence after Harry, Meghan's first
Wider Royal Reactions and Ongoing Family Tensions
Prince William and Kate break silence after Harry, Meghan’s first outing in UK. Prince William and Princess Catherine seemed to have doubled down on their plan to stay focussed on their work and stay away from the chaos surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to Britain. Nearly two weeks of silence, around the same time since the Sussexes landed at the Birmingham airport, there has been silence on the social media of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who were on a summer break before Prince George joined Eton College. In their first post since resuming duties again, William and Kate chose to shed light on Air Ambulance Week 2026, which began on Monday.
Prince Harry is looking to take on more charity work in the UK, according to two sources close to the prince. He stepped down as a patron from Sentebale, the charity he cofounded, following a fallout between the organization’s chair, Dr. Sophie Chandauka, and five of its trustees. On Monday, Harry stepped down as a trustee of Africa Parks after 10 years. Harry’s plans also include focusing on next year’s Invictus Games and continuing his other charity work and business roles including public speaking and his not-for-profit sustainable travel initiative, Travalyst. Prince Harry was seen in high spirits as he was seen at Tower Bridge Studios in London, while Meghan has been out and about on solo errands, including her Sunday visit to the lavish Farmhouse on Sunday.
While William and Kate will not be throwing a welcome-home party for the Sussexes, there is talk that Harry’s return could lead to a reconciliation between the brothers. Author Andrew Morton noted, “There have always been tensions between William and Harry, even before Meghan came on the scene, from who would get the biggest room at Balmoral to their charities. But those tensions are greater now than they have ever been. The brothers are at opposite ends of the spectrum. By coming back home, Harry has changed the narrative and William is fuming. I think there will be pressure on William to be the bigger person and forgive his brother, but I think that is still some way off.” Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Harry and Meghan’s arrival to the UK.
Keep reading