Meghan Markle is prepared as ever for her move back to the United Kingdom.
After all, the Duchess of Sussex has been candid about the time she spent abroad with husband Prince Harrybefore the couple—who share shares kids Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5—stepped back from their duties as senior royals and relocated to California in 2020.
One common issue the 45-year-old experienced was a lack of privacy from the British paparazzi, a relationship she described as “complicated” during the early days of her and Harry’s relationship.
“My British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life,” she recalled in a 2019 interview with Tom Bradby. “And I, very naively—I’m American. We don’t have that there.”
And even though Harry, now 41, publicly condemned the press for its “wave of abuse and harassment” against Meghan, the scrutiny she continued to face from tabloids took a toll on her mental health.
“I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a ‘stiff upper lip’” Meghan told Bradby, “but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.”
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Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Moving Back to U.K. With Kids 6 Years After Stepping Back From Royal Duties
As such, the Suits alum admitted that she often remained holed up inside while living in the U.K., telling Oprah Winfrey in 2021 there was a period where she only left the house twice in four months.
“There was very little that I was allowed to do,” Meghan said. “So, of course, that breeds loneliness when you’ve come from such a full life, or when you’ve come from freedom.”
While Meghan and Harry will be relocating to a non-royal residence later this month, they previously lived at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace—which they clarified was not as “regal” as it sounds.
“Nottingham Cottage was so small,” Meghan said on her 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan. “He would hit his head constantly in that place ’cause he’s so tall. Me with a hoe, and H varnishing. It was just a chapter in our lives where I don’t think anyone could believe what it was actually like behind the scenes.”
Vito Amati/The David Foster Foundation
They eventually moved into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, England, which Meghan described as “a place where we had so many memories.”
“From our courtship, our engagement, our wedding, our walks,” she recalled. “And then where we ended up, you know, having our baby.”
Another part of British life she enjoyed was the music, later sharing on With Love, Meghan in 2025, “Honestly, one of the things I miss the most about the U.K. is the radio station Magic.”
Still, it took time for Meghan to adjust to royal family culture.
“I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside,” she explained. “That there is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and you go, ‘Oh, great. Okay, we can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides, and that was surprising to me.”
She especially felt that dynamic when she first met Harry’s older brother Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton. As she Meghan put it, “They came for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.”
But now, six years after leaving the U.K., Meghan and Harry are moving back for an extended period of time, multiple outlets reported Aug. 19, with Archie and Lilibet enrolled in school at the beginning in September.
And given her rocky history with British tabloids, Meghan is doing all that she can to protect her children from paparazzi who may be camped outside of their school soon.
“Sorry, I have a problem with that,” Meghan bluntly said in a 2022 interview with The Cut, voicing concerns the press’ interest in her kids. “That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”
Keep reading for more insight into Meghan and Harry’s parenthood journey—in their own words.
