Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones, co-hosts of NBC's 'Today,' have voiced their surprise and raised questions about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's reported plans to relocate their family back to Britain. The announcement of a potential move comes six years after the couple stepped back from their roles as senior royals and moved to California.
During the August 20 episode of 'Today with Jenna & Sheinelle,' Hager described her initial reaction to the news as disbelief, thinking it might be a prank. "This is what we do know, which is very little," Hager stated, referencing the couple's July visit to the UK to see King Charles III and Queen Camilla. This visit marked the first time their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, had visited their grandparents in four years.
Hager drew a parallel to the couple's departure from the UK six years ago, suggesting it felt like they had "lit a match" and "blew everything up." She offered this as a potential lesson for others, stating, "When you leave something and say you're never going back... [don't] light a match." Jones interjected, recalling their "hello US" departure, to which Hager added that while she understands their desire to live their own lives, the abruptness of their return is surprising given their previous actions.
Jones speculated that the potential move could be motivated by a desire for the children to be closer to their extended family. "I feel like our parents aren't getting any younger, our grandparents, and so you want your kids to know their grandparents and their cousins and their family members," she said. Hager agreed that she understood the desire to be closer to family but reiterated that the surprise stems from the way they left the UK.
Prince Harry and Meghan are reportedly expected to establish a home base in Britain, though they will maintain residences in Montecito, California, and Portugal. The couple's children are expected to enroll in a UK school. King Charles III has been informed of the plans and is said to welcome more private time with his son and grandchildren. However, Buckingham Palace's stance on the couple's official status is understood to remain unchanged, with reports of continued estrangement from Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales.
Since their move to California in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had pursued various media ventures, including deals with Netflix and Spotify. However, their initial Netflix contract concluded, and Meghan's series 'With Love, Meghan' ran for two seasons.
