TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, are preparing to return to the United Kingdom after six years in the United States, marking a new chapter for the couple as their once-lucrative media ventures in America have been scaled back.
ABC reported that the Sussexes recently revealed plans to relocate to the UK, with King Charles III informed of their decision. The move would bring Harry closer to his UK-based charities, while Meghan is expected to continue running her lifestyle company, As Ever, from Britain.
The couple moved to California in 2020 after stepping back as senior members of the British royal family. They settled in Montecito and pursued major media deals, including partnerships with Netflix and Spotify.
However, those ventures have become less expansive, The Guardian noted. The couple's original Netflix deal, reportedly worth $100 million, has been reduced to a "first look" arrangement, while their $20 million Spotify partnership ended by mutual consent in 2023.
Their media career has produced both major successes and less successful projects. The 2022 Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan, which focused heavily on their relationship with the royal family, became one of the platform's most successful documentary launches.
Other projects struggled to attract comparable audiences. The Guardian reported that Polo failed to reach Netflix's global top 10 lists, while the second season of Meghan's lifestyle series With Love, Meghan recorded significantly lower viewing figures. Netflix also canceled the animated children's series Pearl.
Meghan later launched the podcast Confessions of a Female Founder with Lemonada Media in 2025. The series ran for nine episodes, and she subsequently said she was focusing on As Ever rather than producing a second season.
The changing fortunes of the Sussexes' media businesses reflect broader shifts in the entertainment industry. According to The Guardian, media companies have become more cautious about expensive celebrity deals as audiences gain access to an increasingly crowded creator economy.
Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, told The Guardian that the Sussexes could still generate enormous attention but faced a bigger challenge in turning that attention into a consistent audience.
"Fame can buy you the first click, but only the content earns the second," Navarra said, as quoted by The Guardian.
The Sussexes' return to Britain also represents a notable contrast with another royal couple whose departure from Britain was once compared with theirs: King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
Edward abdicated the throne in December 1936 after deciding to marry Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite. He became Duke of Windsor, and the couple lived largely outside Britain for the rest of their lives.
According to ABC, Edward and Wallis never fully reconciled with the royal family, although Edward returned to Britain on several occasions for family funerals and royal commemorations.
Harry and Meghan, by contrast, appear to be moving toward greater contact with the royal family.
Harry said in May 2025 that he wanted reconciliation with his family after losing a legal challenge over his security arrangements in the UK.
"I would love reconciliation with my family," Harry said, according to ABC. "There's no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious."
Harry's relationship with his father also appears to have improved to some extent. In September 2025, he and Charles met briefly in London for the first time in 20 months. More recently, Charles and Queen Camilla hosted Harry, Meghan and their children, Archie and Lilibet, at Highgrove House.
It was reportedly the first time Charles had seen his grandchildren since 2022.
The relationship between Harry and his elder brother, Prince William, remains far more strained. ABC reported that the brothers are still barely on speaking terms.
The Sussexes' decision to return to Britain does not necessarily mean the end of their connection to the US entertainment industry. The Guardian reported that Archewell has evolved into a more traditional production company, with projects including a polo drama and a film adaptation of Meet Me at the Lake in development for Netflix.
The UK also remains a major production hub, meaning the couple can continue pursuing international media projects while living in Britain.
Meghan has also reportedly been exploring a return to acting, a career she largely left behind after marrying Harry in 2018. The Guardian reported that she was in discussions to appear in the third season of Netflix's The Gentlemen, although subsequent reports said the proposed casting was withdrawn amid backlash in the UK.
For Harry, the UK return could also allow him to spend more time on his charitable work, including the Invictus Games, which are scheduled to be held in Birmingham next year.
After years of building a new life in California, Harry and Meghan's planned return therefore represents more than a change of address. It marks a shift from their original ambition of establishing an independent Hollywood-based media empire toward a more flexible model that combines royal ties, philanthropy, business and entertainment from Britain.
Read: Prince Harry, Meghan Plan Return to the UK
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