Six years, one homecoming: Tracing Harry and Meghan's path back to Britain

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will return to the United Kingdom, seemingly marking the end of a yearslong rift between them and the royal family.

The couple won't resume their roles as working members of the royal family. But their return to Britain means King Charles III, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, will get to spend more time with his grandchildren, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5.

Also read: Prince Harry and Meghan to move back to Britain, media reports say


Harry and Meghan quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, alleging hostility and racist attitudes from the press and royal establishment, eventually settling into a 16-bedroom mansion in Montecito, the wealthy Southern California enclave they have called home for the past several years.

Once there, the couple signed a multi-year deal with Spotify to produce podcasts, and inked a separate agreement with Netflix for a slate of television programming, moves that were meant to secure their financial independence outside the monarchy.

But the American chapter didn't entirely go to plan. Spotify ended its podcast deal with the couple after they produced just one series under their Archewell Audio imprint, and industry watchers have noted the couple's television ventures produced mixed results in the years since.

In recent months, however, there had been growing signs that the tumultuous relationship with the royal family was beginning to thaw, culminating in a private family reunion this summer that appears to have set the stage for the reported move.

Here is a timeline of key events involving Harry, Meghan and the British royal family.

How it began

July 2016: Prince Harry and American actor Meghan Markle meet on a blind date set up by a mutual friend.

Nov 8, 2016: Harry confirms Markle is his girlfriend and condemns press coverage of her, saying it crossed the line and used "racial undertones." His comments draw comparisons to his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash while being pursued by photographers.

Nov 27, 2017: Harry and Meghan announce their engagement.

May 19, 2018: Meghan and Harry marry in a grand ceremony at Windsor Castle.

2019 onwards: Harry launches lawsuits against three newspaper groups, Rupert Murdoch's News Group, the Mirror Group and Associated Newspapers, alleging stories about his school days, personal relationships and private life were obtained through hacking, bugging, deception or other illegal means.

May 6, 2019: Harry and Meghan's son Archie is born.

The split from royal duties

Jan 8, 2020: Harry and Meghan announce they will "step back" as senior royals and become financially independent. The decision triggers a major rift, and the couple moves to Meghan's native California.

February 2020: The committee overseeing royal security decides Harry will no longer receive the same level of taxpayer-funded protection he had as a full-time royal. Harry later launches legal action against the UK government over the decision.

Feb 11, 2021: Meghan wins an invasion of privacy lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers over the publication of a letter she wrote to her estranged father.

June 4, 2021: Meghan and Harry's daughter, Lilibet, is born.

Sept 8, 2022: Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96, after 70 years on the throne. Her eldest son becomes King Charles III.

Legal battles and a bestselling memoir

Jan 10, 2023: Harry's memoir, "Spare," is published and becomes a bestseller, recounting his grief over his mother's death, his frustrations with royal life, and tensions with his father, brother, stepmother and the media.

May 6, 2023: King Charles is crowned at Westminster Abbey. Harry attends alone, without Meghan or the children.

June 6-7, 2023: Harry testifies in his case against the Mirror Group, becoming the first British royal in more than a century to appear in the witness box.

Dec 5, 2023: A three-day court hearing begins on Harry's security claim, with his lawyers arguing the downgrade in his protection was "unlawful and unfair."

Dec 15, 2023: Harry wins his case against the Mirror Group after a judge rules that its journalists engaged in illegal phone hacking and hired private investigators for over a decade. He is awarded legal costs and £140,000 (about $190,000) in damages.

A cancer diagnosis and a security setback

Feb 5, 2024: Buckingham Palace announces that King Charles has cancer and will begin treatment. The exact form of cancer is not disclosed.

Feb 7-8, 2024: Harry travels to the UK from California to visit his father, departing the next day.

Feb 28, 2024: The High Court dismisses Harry's security claim. He appeals the ruling.

Jan 22, 2025: The publisher of The Sun settles a lawsuit with Harry, offering a "full and unequivocal apology" for intruding on his private life between 1996 and 2011, including unlawful activities.

May 2, 2025: Court of Appeal judges dismiss Harry's security case, calling the original decision "sensible." Harry says the outcome means he cannot safely bring his wife and children to his home country.

May 3, 2025: In an emotional television interview, Harry says he wants reconciliation but also revisits grievances against the royal family, the UK government and the media.

Signs of a thaw

Sept 8, 2025: Harry arrives in the UK to visit his charities, with signs of a thaw in relations. The trip coincides with the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death.

Sept 10, 2025: Harry meets King Charles for tea in London, their first meeting in more than a year.

Oct 17, 2025: Prince Andrew gives up his title of Duke of York and other honours after renewed scrutiny over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

July 10, 2026: King Charles hosts Harry and his family at Highgrove House, a country estate west of London, marking their first meeting in years as they work to repair the rift. It is also the first time Archie and Lilibet had seen their grandfather since Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee in 2022.

The homecoming

Aug 19, 2026: Reports emerge that Harry and Meghan will return to the UK. King Charles III was first made aware of the plan on Sunday, August 16, and the move was not discussed during the family's July visit.

The couple's children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, have already been enrolled at British schools and are set to start classes in September, and the family plans to live at a private, non-royal residence outside London. Harry and Meghan will continue as non-working, private members of the family.

With inputs from AP