BREAKING NEWS: Meghan must know this is a terrible look – if true it’s giving her haters what they want
Meghan Markle returned to Britain with her husband and children last week
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved back to Britain with their children last week, and, six years after Megxit, speculation about their next move has reached fever pitch. The family is understood to have settled into a non-royal residence in the Cotswolds – but not before reportedly turning down an offer from Charles Spencer to live at The Falconry, a 17th-century lodge on the Althorp Estate where Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, spent her childhood.
An anonymous source told Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice substack that Harry was “genuinely moved” by the offer, but Meghan decided the location was “too remote, too far from London, and, frankly, not nearly grand enough”. A second source told the outlet Meghan wants “privacy, history and security” and easy access to London.
Harry and Meghan haven’t commented on their reasons for returning to Britain, but unconfirmed reports such as these fit an image of the duchess that has dogged her for years – that she pursues the trappings of royal status while resisting its obligations.
The duke and duchess haven’t commented publicly on their reasons for leaving the US (Image: Getty)
At a moment when the couple’s public image is already fragile, it’s the kind of story that sticks because it confirms a narrative many are already primed to believe.
There is a more sympathetic reading available – a family that has spoken publicly about credible security threats may prioritise proximity to London for practical reasons, and a remote Northamptonshire lodge is likely harder to secure than a well-connected property closer to the capital.
However, Harry and Meghan’s apparent refusal of the accommodation offer seems at odds with heavily-briefed suggestions that their move is less about self-aggrandisement and more about family and rebuilding bridges.
It also sits awkwardly next to reports that King Charles only learned of the planned location days before it was announced.
The duke and duchess are playing a risky game when it comes to courting support from an already-wary public who won’t be quick to forget the barrage of criticism they levelled at the Royal Family after their “freedom flight” to California in 2020.
The couple’s favourability ratings – 33% for Harry and 22% for Meghan in the most recent YouGov poll – suggest they have very little public goodwill left to spend.
Given that, and how quickly stories like this can calcify into accepted narrative, Meghan and Harry would be better served by getting ahead of the speculation themselves than by leaving anonymous sources to fill the silence.
