Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been "slowly and methodically" planning a return to Britain, according to journalist Omid Scobie, who has a close relationship with the couple. Scobie, speaking to ABC News and later posting on Instagram, stated that clues indicating the Sussexes' departure from America after six years have been present for some time.
He pointed to the couple's decision to reduce the size of their U.S. office and restructure their Archewell Foundation into Archewell Philanthropies as evidence of this planning. These changes, he suggests, demonstrate a couple looking to make alterations to their current arrangements.
The news of their planned relocation to a non-royal residence outside London comes as King Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, was reportedly informed of the move three days before it was publicly announced. Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have reportedly already been enrolled in British schools.
Scobie, often described as a confidant and "cheerleader" for Harry and Meghan, co-authored their 2020 biography "Finding Freedom." He was also involved in a controversy in November 2023 regarding the Dutch translation of his book "Endgame," which allegedly named royals who had questioned the skin color of Prince Archie before his birth.
Scobie has since shifted his focus to fiction writing and television production, relocating to Los Angeles and releasing a romance novel titled "Royal Spin" in February. The novel, about an American press agent moving to London for a communications job at Buckingham Palace, is being developed into a TV series for NBC's Peacock, with Scobie serving as writer, co-creator, and executive producer.
In January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their intention to step back as senior members of the royal family, seeking financial independence while splitting their time between the UK and North America. The late Queen Elizabeth II subsequently ruled at the Sandringham Summit that the couple could not maintain a partial royal role. By March 2020, they had established a permanent home in California, officially stepped down as senior royals, and ceased using their HRH styles.