Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to Britain after six years in the United States

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived in the United Kingdom on August 26 with their children — seven-year-old Prince Archie and five-year-old Princess Lilibet. The family returned to the country after more than six years of living in the United States and plans to spend an extended period in Britain.

According to British media, the family's private plane departed from Van Nuys in California and landed at Birmingham International Airport around noon. Flight tracking websites recorded the arrival of the aircraft at 11:56 a.m. local time.

The intention of Harry and Meghan to return to the United Kingdom became known less than a week before their arrival. The decision was unexpected even for some people close to the royal family.

Harry, Meghan and the children will live in a private residence outside London, not owned by the royal family. Its exact location is not being disclosed for security reasons.

At the same time, this does not yet mean the family's final departure from life in the United States. The couple will keep their home in Montecito, California, and the stay in the United Kingdom is officially described as an extended one.

Harry and Meghan's children will study in Britain

One of the main changes will be the children's move. Archie and Lilibet have already been enrolled in British schools and are due to start classes in September. The family does not disclose the names of the educational institutions.

For Lilibet, this will be her first extended period of living in the United Kingdom. She was born in California in 2021. Archie was born in London in 2019, but has spent most of his life in the United States as well.

The return will allow the children to spend more time with relatives on their father's side. In recent months, signs of improvement in relations between Harry and King Charles III have emerged. Harry has previously said publicly that he would like to reconcile with his father and spend more time with him.

At the same time, relations between Harry and his older brother, Prince William, remain strained, according to British and American media.

They are not returning to royal duties

The move does not mean the restoration of Harry and Meghan to the status of working members of the royal family. They will continue to live independently and will not perform official duties on behalf of the monarch.

Harry and Meghan stepped down as working members of the royal family in 2020. After that, they moved first to Canada and then to California and began earning their own income, signing major contracts with Netflix and Spotify.

After their departure, the couple's relationship with the royal family deteriorated sharply. In interviews and documentary projects, Harry and Meghan accused palace officials of insufficient support, spoke about conflicts with the British press and raised the issue of racism.

Harry himself has also repeatedly sued British tabloids and authorities over privacy and security issues during his stays in the United Kingdom.

Now the family's return is seen as a new stage in their relationship with the United Kingdom. Harry will be able to be more involved in British charitable projects, while Meghan will continue to manage her commercial initiatives.

Based on materials from: Associated Press, Reuters