It was a busy end of summer for Prince William and Princess Kate. In late August, the royal couple returned home to Forest Lodge after their annual family trip to Balmoral Castle in Scotland with their children, Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8. Then it was time to gear up for back-to-school season, which included dropping their oldest off at Eton College. Amid the hustle and bustle, William’s estranged brother, Prince Harry, made an unexpected move back to England from the U.S. with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two kids, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
For the first time in more than six years, William and Harry are living in the same country. “It was a shock to William and Kate,” says a source about Harry’s return. “They’re still processing it, but their initial surprise has evolved, and they’re taking a wait-and-see approach.” Sources tell Us that Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are residing in the Cotswolds and that Archie and Lilibet attend a private school nearby. William and Kate, both 44, are now navigating what it means to have Harry in close proximity again — for their relationship and the monarchy at large. “William will be watching his brother very closely,” says former royal butler Grant Harrold, “and trying to work out what his game plan is.”
Currently, there are no plans for a sibling reunion. “No one’s booking a table for two for William and Harry,” says the source. “Everyone wants a reunion story, but it’s not something that’s in the cards.” The source says William doesn’t look at Harry’s comeback as an olive branch: “If fences do get mended, it will be a slow and private process, and on William’s terms.”
William is put off by how quickly Harry and Meghan relocated and “the assumption” that Harry’s homecoming “resets everything,” says the source. The brothers haven’t been on speaking terms in years; they last saw each other at the funeral of their uncle Lord Robert Fellowes in August 2024. (According to the source, William and Kate were “blindsided” by Harry and Meghan’s move; they were informed via King Charles III’s private secretary on Aug. 17, the day after the monarch was told.) “I believe William is still furious [with Harry],” says Harrold. “I don’t believe he’s happy Harry is back in the U.K. at all.” Adds the source: “The relationship was already broken, [and while] the move doesn’t break it again, it does put the break in the same country.”
Harry and Meghan had clearly been planning the move for some time before leaving Montecito, California, in late August. “It takes a long time for children to be enrolled in new private schools,” says royal expert Robert Jobson. “Even if you’re Mick Jagger, you can’t just ring up and say, ‘Get my kid in that school tomorrow.’” The pair may have finalized the details during their July trip to meet with Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 79. “That was probably when they looked at places to stay,” says royal historian Marlene Koenig. The source says Charles was unaware at the time that Harry planned to move back, and that while he’s “pleased” and “hopes for closer ties to his son,” he also “remains cautious about managing expectations.” (On Sept. 7, Buckingham Palace released a letter on behalf of Charles that made clear Harry and Meghan remain non-working members of the royal family.)
For William, Harry’s decision to establish a life in the U.S. in 2020 offered the feuding brothers some much-needed space. (William and Kate have yet to publicly acknowledged Harry and Meghan’s return.) Now, there will be ample opportunities for the two families to cross paths. “Their lives will inevitably exist in closer orbit again,” explains British broadcast journalist Sharon Carpenter. “Living thousands of miles apart made it easier for William and Harry to lead separate lives. Harry being back in England removes some of that distance, literally and figuratively.”
Family gatherings and events will undoubtedly “create opportunities for contact,” adds Carpenter, who thinks Harry and William could make headway organically. “I don’t think reconciliation necessarily begins with some dramatic summit. William and Harry grew up together; they share decades of memories and a very particular sense of humor. The first breakthrough may simply come from getting comfortable around each other again.”
Royal expert Amanda Matta notes that the public may even see Harry and Meghan take part in the family’s annual Christmas walk at Sandringham. “If they are considered an active part of the family, they could very well be at Christmas,” she says. (In July, after Harry and Charles’ meeting, a source told Us that the idea of spending the holiday together had been “floated as a possibility.”)
The kids could also prove to be a uniting force. “As the five children get older, there may be a natural desire not to allow an estrangement between two brothers to become an estrangement between cousins,” says Carpenter. “Harry and William can keep their distance if that’s what they want, but you now have the king, the extended family, major family occasions and the next generation all in the same country.” The source tells Us, however, that there are no plans for the kids to meet. “They are leaving the kids out of it.”
Before Harry and Meghan’s surprising move, Kate had only recently regained her footing following her cancer battle. “Kate not only embraces the responsibility of her role, she is very protective of it,” says a second source, noting that the relationship between Kate and Meghan “has not improved.” Says the first source: “Kate is thinking about her kids and her work and not thinking about being ambushed by the Sussexes. She wants William and Harry [to reconcile], but she supports William 100 percent.”
Though few saw Harry and Meghan’s move coming, Meghan has been said to be in talks to join season 3 of Netflix’s The Gentlemen, which films in England. “She’s expressed that she wants to return to acting and is excited about upcoming opportunities,” a third source tells Us. (When asked about the casting rumors, star Theo James joked that Harry would be playing one of his love interests.) Harry, meanwhile, wants to become more involved with his U.K. charities. (The next Invictus Games will take place in Birmingham in July 2027.) “There doesn’t appear to be any intention to go back to full-time working royal status,” says the first source.
The move may ultimately be temporary. Harry and Meghan will keep their $14.6 million Montecito house, as well as a vacation home in Portugal. “I’ve heard it’s kind of a trial run,” says Matta. “They like the idea of having the best of both worlds,” says the third source, noting that the Sussexes want their kids to have “a stronger connection to the U.K. as they get older.”
Jobson says Harry may want to spend as much time as he can with his father, who revealed his cancer diagnosis in 2024. (Charles said in late 2025 that he was responding well to treatment.) “Or maybe he’s concerned about his financial position,” Jobson adds. (In July, Harry lost his $67 million privacy suit against the publisher of the U.K.’s Daily Mail over allegations of unlawfully obtained information; he and six other claimants were ordered to pay $13 million in legal fees to the publisher.) “Their brand isn’t really successful unless they’re closely linked to the royal family, and [maybe] this is their way of doing that.”
Harry and Meghan were open about how miserable they were during their time in the U.K. In a 2019 interview, Meghan said she unsuccessfully “tried to adopt this British sensibility of a ‘stiff upper lip,’” but found it “really damaging” to her mental health. She and Harry also spoke about the invasive nature of British paparazzi. Carpenter notes that security also remains a major challenge: “Harry has still not been granted the level of state-funded police protection he has been seeking.” Another point of contention for the couple, says Matta, could be giving the monarchy access to their schedules.
If there’s any hope of repairing the damage, it will require consistency on Harry’s part. “William is the future king,” says Carpenter. “Anything involving Harry has a personal and an institutional dimension for him. Rebuilding trust will have to come before rebuilding closeness.” The mood in the U.K. is divided. “The [British] public is skeptical, especially about Meghan, but Harry was always a beloved member of the royal family,” says the first source, “so there’s a big contingent who welcome him back with open arms.”
All eyes are on Harry. “[There can be] no negative interviews, no slagging off the royals, no controversial business deals,” says Harrold. “If Harry proves himself and William feels the situation is safer, things may start to change. But it will all depend on the decisions and choices Harry makes in the coming months.”
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