BREAKING NEWS: Harry put Princess Kate in ‘impossible situation’ over ‘incredulous’ Meghan demand
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to the UK with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, and are believed to have found a private home outside of London
The brothers have reportedly not been on speaking terms as the rift continues. (Image: Max Mumby/Getty Images)
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have touched down in the UK with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, embarking on a fresh chapter in the Duke of Sussex’s homeland.
The couple, who relinquished both their positions as senior working royals and departed Britain in 2020, revealed last week that they would be uprooting from their Montecito, California home.
They are understood to have secured a private, non-royal home outside London, with their children enrolled in British schools and due to start within just a matter of weeks.
Harry and Meghan are thought to have touched down by private jet on Thursday. They brought along their own private security detail and were not accompanied by any taxpayer-funded police protection or a police convoy — privileges they previously enjoyed as working royals.
The couple are believed to have crossed the Atlantic aboard a Bombardier Global Express XRS luxury long-range business jet, owned and chartered by Planet Nine Private Aircraft, an aircraft hire company. The cost of chartering such an aircraft is estimated at $12,000 (£9,000) per hour.
The Duke and Duchess will not be resuming their duties as working royals, having taken the decision to step back six years ago. Following their departure from the UK, Harry and Meghan participated in several high-profile interviews, including one with Oprah Winfrey, a Netflix series, and Harry subsequently published his memoir, Spare, reports the Daily Star.
The couple also made several allegations about their period as working royals, including an fight that allegedly occurred between Harry and his elder brother, William, concerning his relationship with Meghan Markle.
King Charles and Prince William are understood to have been informed at the same time of the couple’s intentions to return to the UK and the two senior figures are said to be in “complete lockstep” regarding preventing Harry and Meghan from assuming a “half in, half out” position within the monarchy.
The Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle (Image: PA)
Friends of both William and Catherine have indicated the couple will keep their distance from “the drama” and while they “cannot forgive” the Sussexes for their damaging claims against the Firm, they remain committed to “look forward to the future”.
The two royal couples had shared what appeared to be a close bond during the initial stages of Harry’s romance with Meghan, even being dubbed the Fab Four at one joint public engagement.
Nevertheless, there has long been a gulf between the Prince of Wales and his younger brother and while Harry has met the King during his earlier visits back to the UK there is not thought to have been any communication between the pair, or any indication the friction between them has diminished.
Catherine had long been regarded as the “voice of reason” between the feuding brothers, yet when Harry and Meghan revealed their intentions to step back from the royal family and leave the UK, she is said to have shown less enthusiasm than her husband in convincing them to remain, feeling their choice was “inevitable”.
In a biography entitled William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, Mirror royal editor Russell Myers also reveals how the Duke of Sussex was “incredulous” when his request for royal protection for Meghan before their wedding in 2018 was denied.
He is reported to have felt it was “one rule for him and another for me” after learning that Catherine had received unofficial palace guidance when she began her relationship with William and was afforded round-the-clock security as soon as the couple became engaged.
The pair left Britain in 2020 (Image: ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Harry was desperately seeking action to safeguard his then future wife after she became a target on social media, and was left furious upon being informed that no security measures would be put in place until after the couple had married.
His father, Charles, also maintained that he was unable to intervene as it was a government decision, notwithstanding the assistance previously extended to Catherine.
Myers further reveals how the Princess believed Harry would desire more than being a “bit-part player” in the monarchy, given his deep-rooted differences with her husband.
