Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finally returned to the UK for an extended period and enrolled their children in school for the autumn term.
King Charles III’s one move suggests as he might have known they would eventually return as he ordered the Sussexes to vacate Frogmore Cottage in early 2023, which was shortly after Harry’s memoir Spare was released.
The residence was indeed provided to the couple by Queen Elizabeth II ahead of their 2018 wedding. They previously lived at Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace.
The Cottage was a grace-and-favour property belonging to the Crown estate. Now, Harry and Meghan along with their children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, have reportedly found a new home in the Cotswolds.
The area has traditionally been dominated by affluent local residents and wealthy second-home owners from London.
Harry’s father still has a grand home there, Highgrove House, where the Duke spent much of his childhood. And it is not far from Althorp, the family home of Harry’s late mother Princess Diana.
The couple reportedly sighted in the twon ahead of two performances by Jay-Z in London on September 4 and 5. News of Harry and Meghan’s relocation, however, has received a mixed reaction.
Polling indicates that a majority of people hold unfavourable views of Meghan, 45, and, to a lesser extent, Harry, 41, whose explosive tell-all memoir “Spare” aired a string of grievances.
Rachael Jones, 57, from near Burford, said she hoped the move — following a rapprochement with the king — would also help heal the rift with his older brother, heir to the throne Prince William.
“Any coming-together in a family is lovely. It’s a good example to the country,” Jones said.
The exact location of their new home remains shrouded in mystery, but they will reportedly retain their California mansion in Montecito as well as a home in Portugal.
Former Highgrove gardener Charles Davis, 65, who attended the 1981 wedding of Charles and Diana, said: “Harry will want to come back. It’s his home.”
Davis claimed that teh royal missed one of his favourite pubs, the Rattlebone Inn –- in nearby Sherston, adding: “When he was living at Highgrove he was in the pub at Rattlebone all the time, that was his regular. You ain’t gonna get all that in America.”
In recent years, celebrities linked to the area have included footballer David Beckham and his fashion designer wife Victoria, US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, while reports have linked singer Beyonce and rapper Jay-Z to a potential home purchase.
2026-08-31 18:01:00
