Prince Harry is looking forward to coming back home after spending six years in California.
“Harry is not as happy in the U.S. as he is in the U.K.,” a source exclusively shares with Us after news broke that the Duke of Sussex and wife Meghan Markle would be moving back to Britain.
“They aim to be somewhere outside of London, not in, like, the city proper,” the source adds. “They are open to a new chapter.”
On Wednesday, August 19, multiple outlets reported that Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, would be relocating with their children to the U.K. for an extended period starting later this month. The pair’s son, Prince Archie, 7, and daughter, Princess Lilibet, 5, are scheduled to begin school there in September.
The couple plan to keep their home in Montecito, California, and their vacation residence in Portugal while having non-royal property in Britain.
“They’ve been spending a lot of time in Portugal this summer,” the source shares. “Harry has friends there, and Meghan has expat friends there. They have a community there.”
Meghan is expected to continue leading her lifestyle brand, As Ever, from their international home. Harry, meanwhile, will be spending more time supporting U.K.-based charities and patronages.
“Harry still operates as if he were a member of the royal family when he evaluates opportunities,” the source explains. “He’s seen royals who have left the royal family, like Sarah Ferguson, whose path he does not want to emulate. He wants to do things that are a right fit for him, but that can be very limiting. And, of course, they need to find ways to make money, so they are eager to find partnerships that are the right fit and fruitful for them.”
Us has reached out to reps for Harry and Meghan for comment.
After the moving news was revealed, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke to the BBC and said the family’s security measures were “private.” (Harry has repeatedly stated in the past that he did not feel safe bringing his family home to the U.K. after they lost their taxpayer-funded security upon their 2020 royal exit.)
“It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan,” Burnham, 56, stated. “We wish them well in the move that they are making.”
As for what Prince William and Kate Middleton think of the move, one royal expert speculated that they may not be completely thrilled.
“All I can think of is: here we go again,” Brothers and Wives author Christopher Andersen exclusively told Us. “For starters, I can only imagine that William and Kate are tearing their hair out. They have so much on their plate as it is trying to shore up the monarchy and propel it into the future; they don’t really need to cope with having Harry and Megan on their proverbial doorstep.”
With Harry and Meghan returning to the U.K., Andersen, 77, predicts that the “Sussexes will inevitably suck up all the oxygen in the room.”
“They will generate countless tabloid stories and take the focus away from other members of the royal family, which is a major no-no,” he claimed. “King Charles and Queen Camilla, in particular, don’t like to be upstaged, and the same goes for William.”
