Published: 11:57 04 September 2026
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have changed the name of both of their children.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have entered a dramatic new chapter after returning to the UK six years after walking away from royal life.
Harry and Meghan relocated to California in 2020, where they raised their two children and established new careers away from the monarchy.
However, the family has now moved back across the Atlantic as the couple pursue several major projects and seemingly begin repairing their fractured royal relationships.
The developments have placed the Sussex family firmly back in the spotlight – while drawing renewed attention to a lesser-known decision involving Archie and Lilibet’s names.
Harry and Meghan begin a surprising new life in Britain
Harry and Meghan officially returned to the UK with their children and two dogs on August 26, reportedly flying privately from California before landing in Birmingham.
The family is expected to live in a private, non-royal residence outside London for an extended period.
Their children, seven-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lilibet, are also due to begin attending school in Britain in September.
The move comes six years after Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior working royals and relocated to North America in search of a more independent life.
Although their return represents a significant change, the couple are not expected to resume official royal duties.
King Charles is reportedly maintaining the arrangement established when they stepped down, meaning Harry and Meghan will continue living as non-working members of the royal family.
Sources have claimed the decision had been on Harry’s mind for some time.
One insider told People: “Harry never really stopped missing home. He’s missed that sense of connection and belonging. Britain is still home in many ways.”
Another source stressed that the decision was ‘taken as a family.’
The Sussexes are reportedly keeping their Montecito mansion, meaning their departure from California may not be permanent.
They are expected to divide their time between the two countries while continuing their professional and charitable ventures on both sides of the Atlantic.
Secret royal reunion reportedly influenced historic return
The decision followed a private reunion between Harry, Meghan, their children, King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House in July.
It marked the first time the King had seen Archie and Lilibet in four years and only his third meeting with Harry since his cancer diagnosis was announced in 2024.
The meeting was kept entirely private, with no official photographs or details released.
Highgrove reportedly provided the family with a secluded setting in which they could begin repairing their relationship away from public scrutiny.
The reunion also carried personal significance, as the Gloucestershire residence was regularly visited by Harry and Prince William during their teenage years.
Harry has previously expressed a desire to reconcile with his family and allow his children to develop stronger relationships with their British relatives.
However, his relationship with William is believed to remain deeply strained.
Despite Harry now living much closer to his brother, sources have suggested that any reconciliation between the pair will be slow and that there has been no meaningful contact between them for years.
Security battle could create another obstacle
One major question surrounding the family’s return concerns the security Harry, Meghan and their children will receive while living in Britain.
Harry automatically received publicly funded police protection when he was a working royal. However, those arrangements were downgraded after he stepped back from official duties in 2020.
His protection is now decided on a case-by-case basis by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, known as Ravec.
Under the current system, Harry is generally expected to provide around 30 days’ notice before travelling to the UK. Officials then assess the potential threats surrounding each individual visit before deciding what protection is appropriate.
Harry has repeatedly argued that these arrangements leave his family vulnerable and previously offered to personally fund police protection while in Britain, but that proposal was rejected.
He subsequently launched a lengthy legal challenge against the Home Office, with his lawyers arguing that he had been ‘singled out’ for ‘inferior treatment.’
However, the Duke lost his appeal in May 2025 after judges ruled that the bespoke security system was neither illogical nor inappropriate.
Following the ruling, Harry said: “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
He added: “I love my country, I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done.”
Harry also said he had been left ‘devastated’ by the decision, while his lawyers argued that his safety, security and life were ‘at stake.’
His decision to return with Meghan and their children therefore represents a dramatic reversal.
According to The Telegraph, Harry gave the committee responsible for his protection less than two weeks’ warning about the family’s move, rather than the notice usually required.
He is now reportedly hoping that his taxpayer-funded security will be reconsidered due to the family’s new living arrangements.
However, no decision to restore his automatic police protection has been publicly confirmed.
Until that happens, the family may have to rely heavily on privately funded security while carrying out everyday activities in Britain.
Meghan Markle prepares for surprising career comeback
Alongside the relocation, Meghan is reportedly preparing for a potentially significant return to acting.
The Duchess of Sussex is said to be in talks for a role in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix drama The Gentlemen.
If confirmed, it would become her biggest acting project since she left Suits, in which she played Rachel Zane for seven seasons.
Meghan stepped away from the legal drama before marrying Harry in 2018 and previously appeared to rule out resuming her acting career.
When asked about the possibility in 2022, she told Variety: “I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not.”
However, insiders have since told People that she and Harry had been discussing a possible comeback before the opportunity involving The Gentlemen emerged.
Meghan has already filmed a cameo as herself in the upcoming comedy Close Personal Friends, starring Lily Collins and Jack Quaid.
She will also continue running her lifestyle brand, As ever, following the move.
The couple remain involved with Archewell Productions and Archewell Philanthropies, while Meghan previously fronted two seasons and a holiday special of her Netflix lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan.
Prince Harry announces daring new venture
Harry, meanwhile, is expected to continue focusing on his charitable work and the Invictus Games.
He is currently preparing for the 2027 Games in Birmingham, which will bring the international sporting event he founded back to the UK.
The Duke has also announced one of his first major public engagements since returning to Britain – and it will see him jump from an aircraft.
Later this month, Harry is set to complete a charity skydive to raise money for organisations supporting Canadian military veterans.
The idea emerged after he met 102-year-old Second World War veteran Ed Marshall, who completed a skydive to raise money on his 100th birthday.
The pair reportedly bonded over their military backgrounds before devising a plan for another jump.
The Sunnybrook Foundation explained: “They quickly bonded over their shared experience of military service and the way they have continued to serve their communities.”
Harry, who served in the British Army for a decade and completed two tours in Afghanistan, will undertake the challenge alongside other veterans.
The event will raise money for the Sunnybrook and True Patriot Love foundations.
Donald Trump delivers brutal verdict on the move
The family’s return has even prompted a cutting response from US President Donald Trump.
When asked about their departure from America, Trump told reporters: “I am happy about it. I was not a fan.”
He accused the couple of treating the royal family with “great disrespect” before directing his criticism specifically towards Meghan.
Trump added: “I didn’t like the way she acted. I thought she was terribly disrespectful.”
He then claimed that he would not have welcomed the Sussexes back if the decision had been his to make.
Harry and Meghan have not publicly responded to the President’s remarks.
The little-known truth about Archie and Lilibet’s names
While the family’s return to Britain marks a major new beginning, one detail about Archie and Lilibet remains surprisingly unknown.
Despite both children being given the surname Mountbatten-Windsor at birth, they are no longer commonly known by that name.
When the couple’s eldest child was born in May 2019, they announced his full name as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
Mountbatten-Windsor is the surname traditionally available to male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, combining the royal House of Windsor with Philip’s family name.
Their daughter was similarly introduced as Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor following her birth in California in June 2021.
However, the children subsequently became Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex after King Charles ascended the throne.
It was later revealed that the family had begun using Sussex as a shared surname, meaning the children are now commonly known as Archie Sussex and Lilibet Sussex.
The decision reflects Harry and Meghan’s desire to establish a united identity shared by every member of their immediate family.
Meghan publicly discussed the importance of sharing a name with her children during an episode of With Love, Meghan.
After Mindy Kaling referred to her as Meghan Markle, the Duchess responded: “It’s so funny too that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now.”
She continued: “You have kids and you go, ‘No, I should share my name with my children.’
“I didn’t know how meaningful it would be to me, but it just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name, our little family name.’”
A source previously explained that it was the first time all four members of the family had shared the same surname.
The insider added: “That’s a big deal for any family. It represents their unification and it’s a proud moment.”
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