The Duchess is reportedly struggling with her return to Britain, while Harry is said to be determined to make their new life work
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s surprise return to the UK has been met with intense interest, not least because of the bitter circumstances surrounding their departure in 2020.
The couple left Britain after stepping down as working royals, with Meghan’s mental health and the relentless tabloid attention she faced among the reasons cited for their move to the US.
But almost immediately, their homecoming has been overshadowed by a question that refuses to go away: how long will Meghan really want to stay?
And after just a few weeks back in Britain, the very pressures that once made Meghan desperate to leave appear to be causing problems once again.
It has been reported that Meghan is finding the return far more difficult than anticipated and that she is feeling very homesick, missing her mom, her friends, the beach – even her chickens.
An insider told Closer: “It’s no secret Meghan agreed to this move to make Harry happy, but it’s already turning out to be way harder than even she anticipated.
“She has a lot more freedom in California too. She can jump in the car to go shopping or meet someone for lunch without thinking too much about it, whereas she’s much more nervous about being out in public in England, so there’s a real sense of isolation,” the source revealed. ”‘On top of that, they’ve got all this financial stress, so there’s just an overwhelming amount on her plate, of course, she’s feeling it.’
Meghan reportedly wants to go home
Until recently, it was assumed that the Palace’s initial silence over Harry and Meghan’s return would be the biggest hurdle they would have to contend with.
But a letter from Lord Chamberlain, sent on the orders of King Charles, reportedly delivered a blunt reminder of where the couple now stand within the institution.
The letter, sent to senior officials and representatives across the UK who had reportedly been seeking guidance over Harry and Meghan’s status, firmly reiterated that the couple are ‘no longer working members of the royal family’.
It reportedly went further, comparing them to ‘private citizens with commercial and charitable interests’.
The Sussexes were reportedly ‘surprised’ by the statement, particularly after months of speculation that Harry had hoped to approach his father about a possible ‘half in, half out’ role – the arrangement rejected by the late Queen Elizabeth at the Sandringham Summit in 2020.
For Harry, who has now made the dramatic decision to put down roots in Britain with Meghan and their children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, the message could hardly have been clearer: coming home does not mean coming back into the Royal Family.
Harry and Meghan at odds over Christmas
The tensions surrounding their return to Britain are also reportedly spilling over into the couple’s plans for Christmas.
With the royal calendar beginning to turn towards the festivities at Sandringham, questions have already been raised about whether the Sussexes will receive an invitation from King Charles.
According to sources, Harry, Meghan and their children will ‘not automatically be included’ on the guest list for gatherings of the Royal Family.
And while Charles may want to include all his grandchildren at such a family-focused time of year, the ongoing tensions within the family could make a Sussex appearance complicated.
A source previously claimed Prince William – who is widely reported to remain ‘furious’ with his younger brother – could even pull out of the special family event to avoid Meghan and Harry.
But we’re now told Meghan herself has little desire to spend Christmas at Sandringham.
An insider told Closer: ‘Meghan can’t think of anything worse than hanging around hoping the royals might squeeze them in somewhere over Christmas.
‘She knows they’re not going to be sitting down at Sandringham like everything’s suddenly fine, and frankly she doesn’t want to spend the holidays making uncomfortable small talk with William and Kate and a bunch of other people who’ve made it pretty clear how they feel about them.
‘That would mean having to endure days on end faking it with the Waleses and that’s a pretty grim prospect; there’s no doubt it would ruin Christmas for Meghan.’
Harry wants to ‘stick it out’
It’s now been two months since the Sussexes visited Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House – a meeting that was largely interpreted by royal observers as a potential sign that the King was ready to welcome his son and daughter-in-law back into the royal fold.
But Harry’s recent closeness to his uncle, Charles Spencer, has thrown another potential complication into the path towards reconciliation.
Just weeks after the Sussexes stayed with the Earl at Princess Diana’s ancestral home, Althorp House, Spencer released a memoir containing claims about the aftermath of Diana’s death and the breakdown of her marriage.
Piers Morgan claimed the Palace were ‘spitting blood’ over the memoir.
Despite the tensions, we’re told Harry remains hopeful that the festive period could allow him to spend time with both sides of his family.
The source says: ‘Harry hates the idea of leaving England over Christmas, it’s one of his favorite times of year and he worries that if they travel back to the US, it will look like they’re giving up and choosing to miss out on time with his father.
‘He’d like them to spend the holiday with Charles Spencer and Diana’s side of the family and hopefully pop in for a visit with Charles and Camilla and the children. There’s also the chance, however slim, that they could end up being invited to the family Christmas celebrations.’
But Meghan is reportedly desperate to return to California, particularly to spend Christmas with her mother, Doria Ragland.
The insider says: ‘Meghan’s heart is back in California, she wants to spend the holiday there with her mom.
‘At the heart of this is the fact that Meghan is very homesick. She misses her friends, she misses her day-to-day routine and she really misses her mom. She talks to Doria every day, usually multiple times but it’s not the same as spending every weekend with her.’
‘They are not on the same page’
With the Sussexes reportedly at loggerheads over their Christmas plans, the source warns that the couple could be heading for a festive bust-up.
Harry, 42, is said to be adamant that they must ‘stick it out’ in England to show that they mean to stay.
Meghan, 45, is reportedly only willing to ‘tough it out’ if they can make regular trips back to California with their children.
The source says: ‘With the kids in school, they can’t keep bouncing between California and the U.K. whenever they feel like it, so they’ve got some difficult decisions coming up because they are not on the same page.
‘She’s willing to tough it out in England but it will be a lot more bearable for her if they can make regular trips back. If she had her way they would go back for Thanksgiving and just stay through Christmas but Harry is very much against that; he would like them to stay put at least until Spring.
‘People have suggested they compromise and go back for Thanksgiving and spend Christmas in England but that didn’t seem to appeal to either of them.’
Meghan has historically embraced Christmas
The Duchess has showcased homemade gifts, recipes, decorations and festive touches through her Netflix series and lifestyle brand.
Last year she shared how she and Harry had left carrots and cookies out for Santa and the reindeer, adding, ‘Anything to maintain the morning magic of Christmas through our children’s eyes.’
The source says: ‘Meghan loves Thanksgiving and all the traditions but Christmas at home with the kids is really special to her. They’ve created all sorts of traditions and she would like to be home for it.’
And the insider claims Meghan feels she was given an understanding that returning to California would remain an option when she agreed to the move.
The source says: ‘And, to be fair, when they agreed to make this move, the understanding was that Meghan could go back to California whenever she needed to. That was a big part of what made her comfortable taking the leap in the first place, so it’s easy to understand why she’d be frustrated that Harry’s now trying to put the brakes on it.
‘Meghan truly doesn’t understand why taking a month back in America would be such a bad thing so this is something she’s digging her heels in on.’
Harry is ‘totally comfortable’ back in Britain
Harry, meanwhile, is said to have experienced the return very differently.
The Prince was long reported to have felt homesick and isolated in Montecito, where the family lived for six years before returning to Britain.
Now, despite his father’s apparent bluntness over the couple’s position within the Royal Family, Harry is reportedly enjoying being back in Britain.
We’re told: ‘Harry is trying to get her excited about all the things they can enjoy in England with the children, long rambles in the countryside, riding horses, even getting to experience all four seasons is a treat in his eyes.
‘He’s genuinely thrilled to be back and feels totally comfortable because it’s home to him, but Meghan just doesn’t feel remotely the same. For her, there’s this constant awareness that people are watching and waiting for her to mess up.
‘She’s finding England to be much more of a goldfish bowl than California ever was, so she’s staying out of sight as much as possible. The irony is, the more she hides out, the more the curiosity around her builds, so isolating is only going to make things worse.’
Work adds another layer of pressure
There is also the question of Meghan’s career.
Before the move, she was described as the ‘main breadwinner’ of the household, with the Duchess putting significant energy into expanding her lifestyle brand, As Ever.
With the brand’s main headquarters still in California, the eight-hour time difference is reportedly adding another layer of pressure.
They tell us: ‘She’s also having a hard time switching off from work. She still has so much going on with her brand; this is a crucial time when it comes to getting funding, so there is a lot of pressure.
‘Even though she’s physically in the countryside, she’s told friends that her focus is in ten different directions, as a founder, that’s par for the course, but adding the time difference in just makes it all more stressful.’
And despite reportedly putting on a brave face, the source claims Meghan would still have little hesitation about returning to California.
The source says: ‘If she could go back home tomorrow, she would, but that’s just not in the cards, even a quick business trip would be seen as an admission of failure.
‘Plus, the kids need to get settled in; that’s where she’s mainly focused right now, and she does feel she needs to support Harry while he sorts everything out with his family. The tension on that end is just as bad as ever, apart from Charles at least, and she’s shouldering that right along with him.’
For now, then, the Sussexes appear to be facing a complicated first few months back in Britain – with Harry reportedly determined to make their new life work, while Meghan is said to be longing for the familiarity of California and the traditions they built there.
