Harry and Meghan's Move to California: Royal Duties Abandoned for New Ventures

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Harry and Meghan's Move to California: Royal Duties Abandoned for New Ventures
Photo: ABC News
politics· A press review of 6 outlets
  1. Harry and Meghan gave up their royal duties and moved to California more than six years ago to earn their living through lucrative contracts with Netflix and Spotify. Although relations with the rest of the royal family have soured since then, Harry has recently expressed an interest in reconciliation so he could spend more time with his father, King Charles III, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer.

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    ABC News

    Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, surprised the world this week with the news that they plan to move back to the United Kingdom more than six years after stepping away from their senior royal roles.

    New York Times

    Return of Harry and Meghan to U.K. Renews Questions About Their Security Fears The couple lost their publicly funded security after deciding to leave Britain in 2020, deepening their split with the royal family.

    The Guardian US

    In recent years, the couple have given a wide berth to Buckingham Palace. Meghan, who is biracial, publicly chastised her royal relatives for racist mistreatment and inadequate handling of media intrusion. More recently, the couple was embroiled in a protracted legal dispute over funding for their security protection.

  2. The couple's children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have already enrolled at British schools and will start classes in September, according to a person close to the Sussexes who was not authorized to speak publicly. The family plans to live at a private, non-royal residence outside of London, but plans to maintain their home in Montecito, California, and their vacation property in Portugal.

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    ABC News

    Now the family of four will resettle in the U.K., with Archie and Lilibet set to start school in their father's home country in September, according to The Telegraph, which first reported the move.

  3. A source familiar with the matter told ABC News on Wednesday that Charles was first made aware of the couple's plans on Sunday and is said to welcome the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family. The source also said Harry and Meghan will remain private individuals and non-working royals.

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    NPR News

    Charles was informed of the couple's plans on Sunday. Harry and Meghan visited the U.K. last month.

  4. Buckingham Palace has not commented on Harry and Meghan's planned move. Murphy, speaking separately on ABC News Live on Thursday, said the decision represents a dramatic shift for the couple after years of building a life in the United States.

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    NPR News

    Buckingham Palace has a policy of not commenting on speculation about non-working members of the royal family. A representative for Harry and Meghan declined to comment.

  5. Meghan, Archie and Lilibet were not seen publicly during the visit. Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, met with Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet while they were in the U.K., a royal source confirmed to ABC News at the time. The meeting was the first time Charles and Camilla were known to have seen Meghan and their grandchildren since 2022.

From the margins

5 details only one outlet reported

Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.

  1. 01 NPR News

    According to a source close to the Sussexes, Meghan will continue heading her As Ever company from the U.K., while Harry can spend more time working with his U.K.-based charities.

  2. 02 ABC News

    Members of Britain's royal family -- including Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, and William and his wife, Princess Kate -- are currently spending time together in Balmoral, their residence in Scotland, for their annual summer holiday.

  3. 03 The Guardian US

    The bucolic coastal California town of Montecito was thrust into the limelight six years ago as the backdrop for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s second act following an acrimonious split from Buckingham Palace.

  4. 04 NBC News

    Fishermen Rescued After Being Stranded at Sea for 5 Days 00:39 Neutrogena Admits it Made Hayden Panettiere Feel 'Unsupported' 01:31 Now Playing Could Harry and Meghan's UK Move Signal End of Royal Rift? 02:35 UP NEXT Kurt Busch Opens Up for First Time on Loss of Brother Kyle Busch 05:57 Trump and Ex-Lawyer Michael Cohen Reconcile After Bitter Feud 02:43 Woman Arrested in Plot to Bomb New York State Capitol 03:09 FBI Seizes Eric Swalwell's Devices Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe 02:18 Charter Plane Crash at Remote Military Site in Alaska Kills All 8 01:17 Severe Storms and Tornadoes Unleash Damage Across US 03:25 FDA Recalls Clear Eyes Eye Drop Bottles Over Contamination Risk 00:25 Royal U-Turn: Prince Harry and His Family to Move Back to UK 02:26 Sandra Bullock Opens Up About Loss of Longtime Partner to ALS 03:54 Calamari Calamity: Thousands of Pounds of Squid Spill on Road 00:36 Dirtbike Rider Leads LAPD on Wild Chase, Stops to Refuel 00:45 Trump Warns Iran of ‘Economic D-Day’ as War Nears 6 Months 02:29 DEA to Join Investigation Into Hayden Panettiere’s Death 02:09 Artemis III Astronaut Speaks Out About Trailblazing Space Mission 03:09 What’s Behind Harry’s Decision to Move Family Back to UK? 02:51 Moderna, Merck See Promise in Experimental Skin Cancer Vaccine 00:35 Lindsay Clancy Trial: Defense Focuses on Postpartum Psychosis 01:57

  5. 05 RealClearPolitics

    Autumn Brewington: Despite the problems the couple have expressed with royal life and their treatment in Britain, there are solid reasons why they would choose to return now.

Assembled from 5 corroborated claims drawn from 6 independent outlets. Every passage above is taken verbatim — Dorothy doesn't paraphrase or summarize.

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Coverage by Perspective

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Sources (6)

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  • nyt
  • npr
  • nbc
  • guardian
  • rcp

Original Articles (8)