In a move that shocked the world, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left California and returned to the United Kingdom
They will keep their homes in California and Portugal, Hollywood Reporter He understands and aims to stay across the pond for an undisclosed period of time. Someone with knowledge of their plans said THR The couple took a “wonderful trip” abroad this summer – spending time with the King at his royal residence, Highgrove, as well as with the family of Harry’s mother, Diana – as they decided to extend their stay.
The couple arrived last week with their two children, 7-year-old Prince Archie and 5-year-old Princess Lilibet, and two dogs Mia and Paula, according to the British Daily Mail. To the BBC. The family are said to be staying in the Cotswolds, in a house with “no royal trappings”, and have arrived just in time to enroll Archie and Lilibet into schools for the start of the autumn term. (Note: They have not yet announced schools, although their cousins, Prince Charlotte and Prince Louis, are at Lambrook in Berkshire, with heir to the throne Prince George about to start at the prestigious Eton College this month.)
It is unlikely, as the saying goes, that time has healed all wounds. So, what can we expect, and will the vicious British press finally give the Duke and Duchess of Sussex some respite?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle confirmed they would be “stepping down” as senior members of the royal family nearly seven years ago, in January 2020. What followed were shocking revelations in an interview with Oprah Winfrey and Netflix. Harry and Meghan A documentary about Markle’s treatment behind closed doors, as well as the insidious onslaught of press coverage that drove the former actress to suicidal thoughts before she and Harry fled to the relative privacy of Montecito.
The tabloids did not welcome her with open arms. Much of this can be traced back to what Harry described as deep-rooted racism in the press – Markle It was said to be “Fueling human rights abuses, drought and killing” by eating avocados, Accused of “Princess Charlotte’s life was put in danger” by having a potentially poisonous flower in her wedding bouquet, And criticized As a “nightmare” of an “embarrassing mistake” at Wimbledon (because she was wearing jeans). Combine that with the now-famous headline “Harry’s new girl is (almost) straight out of Compton” and Markle’s statement that the royals have “concerns about how dark (Archie’s) skin will be when he’s born,” and you’re left with some compelling evidence that Markle has been treated differently by both the media and the Crown itself.
in Harry and Meghanthe Duke tells the cameras that the palace believed the constant hostility and media attention was a rite of passage when you join the world’s most famous family. “Family members would say, ‘My wife had to go through that, so why should you treat your friend any differently?’ Why should you get special protection?” And I said, “The difference here is race.”
Markle has also proven to be deeply unpopular with a portion of the British public, which has been incited into a culture war frenzy by the aforementioned, often right-leaning, publications. Seven years later, she may not be able to repair that relationship; A mirror reconnaissance So far this week, it has received more than 10,980 responses to a survey titled: “Can Harry and Meghan rebuild their popularity with the British public?” 90% of them chose: “No, I don’t think so.”
The negative evaluation of the couple by the British is due to a group of issues, the most important of which is Markle’s background in “Hollywood”, and Harry’s memoirs that reveal everything. additionaland their obvious hypocrisy for wanting to step out of the royal spotlight while still doing shows and podcasts with Netflix and Spotify. Ultimately, the couple’s constant nagging and public exposure of the Royal Family’s dirty laundry was not accepted in the UK and their uncompromising and uncompromising approach to dealing with adversity. Their behavior was seen as disrespectful to the late Queen Elizabeth II, whose (advertised) motto “Never complain, never explain” sums up the way the company prefers to deal with hardship.
Their return to Britain raised questions about the duo’s long-term ambitions in the world of entertainment, especially as they were looking forward to returning to Britain. Harry and Meghan And 2025 With love, Megan The lifestyle series are the only well-performing projects to emerge from Archewell’s $100 million deal with Netflix. Others, such as Polo, Celebrating the holidayand Heart of Invictusfailed to make a splash. A year ago, Netflix downgraded its deal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to a first-look deal. Two months later, the streamer exited Markle’s lifestyle brand, As Ever.
To make matters worse, Harry has routinely faced legal challenges over the security he and his family are entitled to while in the UK. Last year, he lost an appeal against a decision to reduce his taxpayer-funded security arrangements. In what may be a hint at the family’s plans to return to the UK, Harry said in 2023 that England is “central” to Archie and Lilibet’s “heritage”, and that he wants them to “feel as much at home[here]as they do where they currently live in the US”. It remains unclear what level of security the family will be provided when they return to England – and who will pay for it.
Then, in July, there was one of Harry’s toughest rulings yet: he and six others, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, lost their privacy case against the magazine’s publisher. Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday In the High Court in London. They accused Associated Newspapers Ltd. collected illegal information, but now face paying up to £34.5 million ($48 million) to ANL in legal costs.
As Louis Staples of Harper’s Bazaar He pointed it out cleverlyThe Sussexes’ return also coincided with a charged and sensitive media landscape in the wake of Jason Ardai’s death. The British press is grappling with accusations of widespread systemic racism after it emerged that a former Cambridge University professor — the youngest ever black professor at the institution — was the subject of more than 250 articles in 22 days surrounding allegations of plagiarism and biographical inaccuracies. As Ardi said, the Internet firestorm “has reached the limits of what anyone should be expected to endure.” Just one week later, on August 14, the father of two was found dead in his London apartment.
Whether the loss of Jason Ardee has prompted any introspection in a notorious industry remains to be seen, but headlines about the Sussexes’ return to Britain have – so far – been surprisingly tepid. The sunFor example, the first page of “Harry & Meg Go Home” reads, while A telegraph Editorial He went with “Welcome back, Harry – maybe you’ll save the monarchy.”
Whisper it, but the UK might encourage reconciliation, especially with King Charles receiving treatment for cancer. A source said Vanity gallery Over the weekend, Charles was “really happy to have Harry back, because it means they’ll see more of him and the kids,” although BBC News admitted the royal was unaware of their move.
However, in the same report, the outlet explains that the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, were “derailed” by the development, meeting with Charles, Queen Camilla and senior royals at Balmoral Palace for “a number of conversations (…) about Harry and Meghan’s plans to make the UK their primary residence.” Prince William is said to be very unhappy with this situation. Multiple articles reported that the brothers (and their wives) clashed over the years. (“I’ve been a hugger, I’ve always been a hugger,” Markle said Harry and Meghan About meeting then-Cambridge early in her relationship with Harry. “I didn’t realize this was really annoying to a lot of Britons.”)
Harry and Meghan have no plans to return to senior royal duties, but the Duke is keen to continue his charitable work, and the Duchess is expected to expand her business from the UK, and has also been linked to a third season of Guy Ritchie’s series. Gentlemenalthough she was quickly dropped from consideration after her involvement was leaked to the press. Whether this return to England is an olive branch – to the public, the press or the monarchy – is likely to become clear in the coming months.
Hollywood Reporter I have not received a response from representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the time of publication.
