As Prince Harry and Meghan begin their latest chapter in Britain, attention is now turning to how exactly the non-working royals will spend their time.
King Charles III has made it clear the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will remain private citizens, and they are not expected to carry out official duties with the monarch or other royals in the near future, if at all.
Prince Harry will focus on his charity work now he’s back in the UK while Meghan is likely to throw her time into helping their children settle into their new home and new school. PA Images via Getty Images
So, how will the polarising couple − who quit their places as working members of The Firm six years ago − keep busy?
Prince Harry and Meghan’s private jet was seen on the tarmac at Birmingham Airport on Wednesday (early Thursday morning in Australia), heralding their arrival in the UK.
The couple’s plans to leave their home in Montecito, California, for an “extended stay” in Britain were revealed last week.
Their children Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are due to begin at a British school in early September. Prince Harry and Meghan’s hasty arrival is understood to have come after their children’s places in school were only recently confirmed.
“They had to wait to be told whether or not their children had got in,” The Sunday Times reported at the weekend.
“There was no special treatment,” the source added.
For the immediate time being, settling the children into their new home and their new school will be the focus for both the Duke and Duchess.
Meghan is likely to take on the bulk of school duties for now, including ferrying Archie and Lilibet to and from the mixed independent facility each day.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are due to start at their new British school in early September, joining children from across the UK starting school as summer comes to an end. Instagram/meghan
Prince Archie will enter the first year of the preparatory school while Lilibet will start year one at the pre-prep.
“In the very short term, it’s settling the kids in and settling themselves in,” a source told The Telegraph UK.
“Very normal stuff.”
The children will need to make new friends and adapt to a new culture and will possibly adopt a British accent too.
Prince Archie was born in Britain, in 2019, but left with his parents in early 2020 before his first birthday.
Princess Lilibet was born in California but celebrated her first birthday at the Sussexes’ former UK home, Frogmore Cottage, when the family returned for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.
That same year Meghan suggested that she would never be able to do the school run in the UK without it turning into a paparazzi spectacle.
Meghan will continue to build her lifestyle brand As ever from afar but may join Prince Harry for the occasional charity visit or carry out some of her own. Getty
In an article for The Cut, the journalist described Meghan’s worries: “she’d never be able to do school pickup and drop-off without it being a royal photo call with a press pen of 40 people snapping pictures”.
Meghan herself said: “Sorry, I have a problem with that. That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”
However, the Prince and Princess of Wales regularly do the school drop off and pick up for their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis without any intrusion from photographers.
The UK press has strict rules governing such occasions, deemed private time for the royals, and there would be public anger if such photos were ever taken, and published, by legitimate news outlets.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took their children to the Spencer family estate, Althorp, in July. @meghan
Meghan is expected to forge ahead in building her lifestyle brand As Ever after last year registering iterations of the international trademark in Britain. The duchess also trademarked various parts of the brand in Australia ahead of her and Harry’s tour here in April but so far, the products are only available to customers with a US postal address.
The duchess may carry out the occasional charity event on her own, supporting women’s issues as she has done both when she was a working royal and during her time in Australia where she visited a shelter for abuse victims.
Her return to acting is in doubt despite reports she had secured a part in the Netflix series The Gentlemen.
Prince Harry is expected to keep himself busy with charity engagements in early September. The duke is said to have a number of events in his diary, though arrangements are still being finalised due to the speed in which the Sussexes moved back.
The duke will attend the WellChild Awards in early September, a charity he has been patron of since 2007. It is one of a few patronages he was able to retain after stepping back as a senior working royal in 2020.
Meghan may choose to join her husband at some of the public events. In July she planned to attend two engagements with Harry, including one supporting the Invictus Games and veterans, but pulled out last-minute because of security concerns.
Prince Harry was in Birmingham in July where he celebrated 20 years of the WellChild program, a charity he has supported for many years. Getty Images
The Invictus Games will be held in Birmingham next year and Prince Harry is understood to be working hard behind the scenes to ensure his father King Charles is there to publicly support the tournament.
Harry and Meghan’s return to Britain is not expected to change their status as private citizens, and they are not likely to carry out official duties on behalf of King Charles anytime soon.
However, they may attend wider events with the royal family − at the invitation of the king − such as Christmas at Sandringham, Royal Ascot, Easter at Windsor Castle and even Trooping the Colour.
Prince Harry and Meghan are not likely to resume their roles as working royals but may occasionally join the king at events if requested. AP/AAP
Much like in Australia, Meghan and Harry may mix charity and paid events as they need to earn their way as non-working royals.
The length of Prince Harry and Meghan’s time in Britain is unknown and a source close to them told The Telegraph UK it could be “six months, a year, two years… who knows”.
The Sussexes are reportedly living in the Cotswolds, in England’s south-west, which is the same region Princess Anne, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall have homes.
However, details of their security arrangements are yet to be finalised. The Home Office has reportedly finished its review into the level of protection Prince Harry has, but the duke has not been told of its outcome.
When they arrived in Birmingham on Wednesday, the Sussexes were protected by their hired security team and not taxpayer-funded police.