Royals ‘Still Don’t Know’ Harry and Meghan’s Motives After Their U.K. Return, Palace Insider Says (Exclusive)
Royals ‘Still Don’t Know’ Harry and Meghan’s Motives After Their U.K. Return, Palace Insider Says (Exclusive)
Meredith KileWed, September 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC
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King Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton; Prince Harry and Meghan MarkleCredit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Vito Amati/The David Foster Foundation via Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have moved back to the U.K. for an extended period
A palace insider told PEOPLE of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s return: “The royal family still don’t know what their motives are”
Royal experts say their return has also “magnified” the rifts between Harry and his family members
As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle settle into their new chapter in the U.K., questions loom about their plans.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced last month that they were moving back to Britain for an extended period, arriving in England just a week later on Aug. 26. Despite their reunion the previous month, PEOPLE understands that King Charles was made aware of Harry and Meghan’s plans to return just days before the information became public.
“The royal family still don’t know what their motives are,” a palace insider tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.
However, royal author Russell Myers tells PEOPLE that the King and Prince William, 44 — who remains estranged from his younger brother, with no contact between them — have closed ranks on one important issue.
“The King and William are completely united on the Sussexes not representing the royal family,” says Myers. “It’s without a doubt how in sync they are on this matter.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry; King CharlesCredit: John Nacion/WireImage; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
On Sept. 7, the King issued a letter via the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Benyon, clarifying the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s status as non-working royals.
The letter stated that Harry, 42, and Meghan, 45, are “no longer working Members of The Royal Family” and said their position, including the “personal latitude it brings the couple in respect of financial independence and protection of their privacy as they would wish,” would continue to be respected.
“In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests,” the letter continued.
A source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex pushed back on the description as “private citizens,” telling PEOPLE, “They are public figures. Members of the public know who they are. The idea that they can live a normal, ‘private’ life is sadly not realistic.”
The guidance didn’t contain a new policy regarding Harry and Meghan. Rather, it reiterated the terms agreed upon at the January 2020 family meeting dubbed the “Sandringham Summit,” held after the couple announced their intention to step back as working royals.
Despite his estrangement from his family, Prince Harry has expressed a desire to mend the rift.
“I would love reconciliation with my family,” he told the BBC in 2025. “There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”
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Prince Harry — along with his wife and children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5 —had a July meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla, 79, at Highgrove, and PEOPLE understands that he has spoken with the King at least once since the Sussexes’ arrival back in Britain, although not in person.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend Trooping the Colour festivities on June 9, 2018Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
Prince William and Prince Harry, meanwhile, remain estranged.
“William’s view is clear — any relationship his father has with Harry or the Sussexes as a family is entirely up to him,” says Myers. “But looking toward the future, he will have no relationship with them, in a working or private capacity whatsoever.”
According to royal author Simon Vigar, William and Kate Middleton, 44, are relying on an age-old royal philosophy: “It is keep calm and carry on. They see it as a sideshow and ancient history.”
Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle to view tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 10, 2022Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty
The Prince and Princess of Wales are keeping their focus on family and royal work. So far in September, they’ve dropped their eldest child, Prince George, off to begin his first year of Eton College, and stepped out for multiple royal engagements, including a joint appearance in support of one of William’s mental health initiatives on World Suicide Prevention Day.
“They are shining a light on things that are important to them,” says Ailsa Anderson, the late Queen Elizabeth’s press secretary. “What they don’t want is all this other noise becoming a distraction.”
Until the royals have more clarity on Harry and Meghan’s plans, however, royal historian Amanda Foreman notes that the issue will be “incredibly draining” on the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“They will always have to look over their shoulders and factor them in. And all they can do is deflect,” she says. “Yet, they’ll get lots of jabs and questions: ‘When are you going to make up with your brother?’ ”
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One possible opportunity for reconciliation, Vigar says, could be next year’s 30th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death.
“Diana would have hated all this and would have banged their heads together and wouldn’t have allowed [the rift] to happen,” he says.
“It’s clearly incredibly difficult. The trust has broken down,” adds Anderson. “Let’s hope it’s not broken completely, and there’s a chink in the armor on both sides, and there could be some sort of reconciliation. But that’s not happening anytime soon.”
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