Rocky US chapter for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle raises American dream questions
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to the UK reads like a verdict on the American dream — and it isn’t rosy.
According to a new report, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have quietly returned to the U.K. with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, with the children reportedly being lined up to start school in Britain as soon as September. The couple isn’t said to be moving into a palace or any royal residence; instead they’re looking to establish a private home base while keeping their life largely off the royal grid.
Per the same report, they plan to hold on to a property in Portugal and their $29 million home in Montecito. There’s no return to royal duties in the cards; they’re expected to continue their independent projects while basing more family time in the U.K.
The shift follows a high-profile Hollywood chapter that began in 2020, when the Sussexes stepped back as senior royals and launched entertainment ventures including a multi-year deal with Netflix and a podcast pact with Spotify. Their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan drew massive attention; other projects hit bumps, including the end of their Spotify partnership in 2023 and the cancellation of Meghan’s animated series Pearl in development at Netflix.
- Harry & Meghan (Netflix, 2022) — multi-part docuseries about their relationship and royal exit.
- Live to Lead (Netflix, 2022) — interview series co-presented by the couple’s Archewell.
- Heart of Invictus (Netflix, 2023) — docuseries following competitors in the Invictus Games.
- Archetypes (Spotify, 2022) — Meghan’s podcast ran one season; the Spotify deal ended in 2023.
- Pearl (Netflix) — animated series from Meghan, announced then canceled in development in 2022.
What changed in Hollywood
An industry insider cited by Radar Online says the couple believed their royal profile would translate into a long-term entertainment brand, but the landscape around them has cooled.
“When Harry and Meghan first arrived in California, there was a genuine belief that they could translate their royal profile into something enormous in entertainment and become completely self-sufficient on their own terms.”
The source told Radar Online that while projects directly about their lives performed, other ideas were shelved or failed to land, and “several major partnerships” have ended — a sign, the insider said, that the initial Hollywood frenzy has faded.
Even so, the Sussexes still have screen work in the pipeline. In April 2024, Netflix announced two new Archewell non-scripted series in production: a Meghan-fronted lifestyle project about cooking, gardening and entertaining, and a docuseries exploring the world of professional polo with Harry. No premiere dates have been announced.