- Prince Harry opened up about his family's return to the UK in August 2026 in a candid interview with GQ magazine
- The Duke of Sussex cited his children's schooling and the chance to experience British culture as key factors behind the move
- Harry also addressed his hopes for reconciliation with members of the royal family, including his father and brother
Prince Harry has broken his silence on what drove him to uproot his family from their California home and settle back in Britain, sharing details in a wide-ranging GQ magazine interview.
Source: Facebook
The Duke of Sussex, 42, sat down with the publication to reflect on the family's August 2026 relocation to the UK, more than six years after he and Meghan Markle stepped away from senior royal duties and crossed the Atlantic.
Prince Harry's hopes for his children
At the heart of the decision, Harry says, was a desire to give his children something he had not fully anticipated missing.
"Being able to put the kids in a British school has meant a lot to me. I didn't know how important it was to me," he told the magazine.
Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, have both settled into their new school and appear to be thriving, according to their father.
Harry was careful to note that his enthusiasm for British schooling was not a slight against American education; rather, he sees early exposure to different cultures as something that can open a child's mind to the wider world.
The prince also spoke about wanting Archie and Lilibet to share in parts of his own childhood experience, particularly the memories he holds fondly, while forging their own bonds with Britain.
Reconnecting with family and old friends
Beyond the classroom, Harry pointed to personal relationships as another pull factor. Being on British soil for extended periods, rather than brief visits of a few days, has given him the chance to reconnect with relatives and longstanding friends.
He noted that playdates and time spent with other families had helped the children find their footing in their new surroundings.
The Sussexes' return comes against a backdrop of well-documented tensions with the royal family following their departure from official duties in 2020.
Strained ties with King Charles III and Prince William have played out publicly over the years, and Harry addressed those rifts directly in the interview.
He said he genuinely wants things to work out, and that finding common ground matters to him, even if rebuilding trust is not straightforward.
His position was clear: holding on to past grievances serves no one, and a willingness to move on is necessary.
Harry also touched on his long and fractious history with the British press, suggesting that speaking publicly about his experiences had made the media landscape slightly easier to navigate, even if it had not resolved every problem.
He said respect would be central to the family's ability to move forward. Lilibet was born in California in 2021, the year after the family relocated there.
The couple has not resumed working royal roles since returning, and Harry framed the move primarily as a personal choice rooted in family life rather than any formal return to the institution.
Source: TUKO.co.ke