Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be preparing to rebuild a life in Britain, but one of the biggest questions surrounding their dramatic return has little to do with where they will live or where their children will go to school.

It is what happens with Prince William.

According to a Daily Mail report published on August 20, 2026, Harry and Meghan are expected to return to the United Kingdom with Archie and Lilibet for an “extended period,” six years after leaving for North America. Their children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are expected to enrol at a British school in September, although it is not yet known whether the family’s move will become permanent.
The Sussexes are expected to live in a non-royal residence and have no reported plan to return as working members of the Royal Family.

King Charles, who was reportedly told by Harry about the move only on the Sunday before the news emerged, is said to “welcome” the opportunity to see his son and grandchildren more often in a private capacity. But the King is also understood to believe there should be “no alteration” to Harry and Meghan’s status as private individuals and non-working royals.

The personal relationship between Charles and Harry nevertheless appears to have shown signs of improvement.

Only last month, Charles and Camilla welcomed Harry, Meghan and their children to Highgrove House in Gloucestershire for a private reunion. It reportedly marked the first time in four years that Charles had seen Archie and Lilibet. Harry is also said to hope his father will open next summer’s Invictus Games alongside him, although whether that will happen remains uncertain.

But William appears to present a much more difficult obstacle.

Harry’s relationships with both his father and his elder brother, the future king, have been described as strained. However, while there are signs of movement with Charles, Harry and William are not thought to have spoken for years.

William and Catherine are also said to have been “deeply hurt” by allegations made in Harry’s memoir Spare.

The brothers were once reported to have put their differences aside in honour of their late mother, Princess Diana. They came together for the unveiling of her statue five years ago. But royal author Phil Dampier believes the situation has deteriorated significantly since then.

“William and Harry put aside their differences for the unveiling of the statue of their mother Princess Diana [five years ago], but things are much worse now,” Dampier told the Mail.

And with next year marking 30 years since Diana’s death, Dampier suggested that what might otherwise have provided an obvious opportunity for the brothers to appear together may no longer be enough to overcome their estrangement.

“I think William would find it very hard to meet Harry, even to honour Diana’s memory,” he said, adding that although the anniversary could provide an opportunity to heal their rift, “I don’t think William’s heart is in it.”

Then came perhaps the most striking assessment of William’s current position.

According to Dampier, friends have told him that, as far as William is concerned, “Harry is the past.”

He claimed William is now focused on the future of Catherine and their children, George, Charlotte and Louis.

Dampier went even further, expressing his opinion that William may never forgive Harry — not simply for leaving the Royal Family, but because of what Harry subsequently disclosed through Spare, the Sussexes’ Netflix programme and the Oprah Winfrey interview.

Dampier also connected the depth of William’s anger to the controversy surrounding Catherine, saying: “It led to Catherine being smeared as a racist, and he will never forget that.”

Importantly, these are Dampier’s assessments of William’s feelings, rather than direct public comments from the Prince of Wales himself. But if his description is accurate, Harry’s return could produce an extraordinary situation: the brothers may once again live in the same country while remaining personally estranged.

Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan’s move does not appear to represent a complete abandonment of their life outside Britain. They are expected to retain their approximately £11 million Montecito home in California and also own a residence in Portugal. Their new British residence has not been publicly revealed for privacy reasons.

Harry had already been scheduled to return to Britain for the WellChild Awards and was expected to stay at Buckingham Palace. But with Meghan and the children now reportedly returning for an extended period as well, he no longer requires that accommodation.

That seemingly small detail illustrates just how much has changed.

Harry is no longer simply coming home for an event. His children could soon be attending school in Britain, while Charles may have more opportunities to see his grandchildren.

Yet the Sussexes are not returning as working royals, and there is no evidence in the report that William is preparing for a reconciliation.

For Charles, Harry’s return may offer another opportunity to rebuild a relationship with his son.

For William, however, the most revealing words attributed to those describing his position remain brutally simple:

“Harry is the past.”

And Harry’s return to Britain may now test whether the past can really stay there when the two brothers are once again so much closer to each other.