The Duke of Sussex’s Remembrance Day essay from 2025 seems to have been yet another clue that he was planning a return to the U.K.
Credit: Eduard Kryzhanivskyi/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine/Global Images Ukraine via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived in the U.K, on Aug. 26, one week after announcing plans to move their family back for an extended period of time
- The couple hopes to establish a non-royal home base in the U.K., with plans for their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to begin school in September
- Harry may have hinted about planning for the move last fall; in a Remembrace Day essay, he notably wrote that he “currently” lived in the U.S.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to move back to the U.K. may have come as a shock to many, but the Duke of Sussex has been hinting at the decision.
On Nov. 11, Harry, 41, penned a heartfelt essay for Remembrance Day — the U.K. equivalent of Memorial Day, though it falls on the same date as Veterans Day — about his own military service, his time spent in Ukraine and his work volunteering with military charities kike Scotty’s Little Soldiers and the Invictus Games.
“Every November the world, for a moment, grows quieter. We pause, together, to remember,” he wrote. “Remembrance has never been about glorifying war. It’s about recognising its cost: the lives changed forever and the lessons paid for, through unimaginable sacrifice. It’s also about honouring those who, knowing that cost, still choose to serve.”
“Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for. The banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands, ridiculous as it sounds, these are the things that make us British. I make no apology for it. I love it,” Harry continued.
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Amid the news of Harry’s move back to U.K., his saying that he was “currently” living in the U.S. hinted that plans for the move were in motion.
PEOPLE revealed on Aug. 19 that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were moving their family back to the U.K., with plans for Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to begin school in Britain this September. Details about the location of the couple’s private, non-royal home and the children’s school are being closely guarded, though PEOPLE learned that the family arrived on Wednesday, August 26.
The Remembrance Day essay wasn’t the only hint that Prince Harry had been thinking about moving back to his home country.
In September 2025, he chatted with English singer Joss Stone at the WellChild Awards. Stone, 39, who had recently returned to Britain with her own family after spending years living in Nashville, Tenn., later recounted the conversation to Hello!, noting that the prince seemed particularly interested in how her four children had handled the move.
“He was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children,” Stone recalled. “It was nice to share that with him because it’s exactly why we felt drawn to come back — for the kids to grow up surrounded by family, friends and a strong sense of belonging and, most importantly, in a safe environment.”
Harry, Meghan, and their children made their U.K. arrival on Wednesday after flying privately from California to Birmingham, England.
PEOPLE understands that King Charles was made aware of the couple’s plans on Sunday, Aug. 16, and welcomes the opportunity to see more of his son’s family in a private and personal capacity.
The couple will also maintain their home in Montecito, California, and their vacation property in Portugal.
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However, the move back does not mean a return to royal roles for Harry and Meghan, who stepped back from their roles as working members of the royal family in 2020 before relocating to California. The King is said to have been clear that there will be no change to Harry and Meghan’s status as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family, in keeping with the agreement they previously reached with the late Queen Elizabeth.
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