Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing renewed speculation over whether they could ever return to Britain on a permanent basis, but one veteran royal commentator argues that lingering tensions with the Royal Family and unresolved security disputes make such a move highly unlikely. The debate intensified after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled to the United Kingdom earlier this month, prompting fresh discussion about their long-term relationship with Britain following their departure from royal duties in 2020.
The latest claims come from royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, who dismissed the possibility of the couple resettling in the UK, arguing that trust between the Sussexes and the Royal Family has deteriorated too far. His comments reflect his personal assessment of the family's dynamics and have not been confirmed by Buckingham Palace or representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The recent visit marked Meghan's first trip to Britain since 2022. While Prince Harry spent several days carrying out public engagements and meeting supporters, Meghan arrived later in the visit with the couple's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. She did not participate in public events despite earlier expectations that she would appear during the trip.
Security remains one of the central issues shaping the couple's relationship with Britain. Since stepping back as senior working royals, Harry has lost his automatic entitlement to state-funded police protection and has pursued a lengthy legal challenge seeking additional security for visits to the UK. The dispute has remained unresolved and continues to influence decisions surrounding family travel.
According to reports published earlier this year, a confidential security assessment concluded that Harry faces a greater terrorism risk in Britain than in the United States, citing multiple alleged plots and concerns about persistent stalkers. Harry's legal team has consistently argued that the level of risk cannot be addressed solely through secure accommodations.
A spokesperson for Harry's team said "risk follows the person, not the place", maintaining that housing arrangements alone cannot replace appropriate security measures. The spokesperson also said that the independent Risk Management Board that RAVEC determined was necessary last November has still not convened, making it "difficult to understand how the proportionality of the current arrangements can credibly be maintained without that independent assessment."
Against that backdrop, Fitzwilliams said he sees little prospect of a permanent return for the Sussexes.
"Meghan would never consider it, the humiliation would be huge as their brand does attract worldwide attention and the public don't like them as shown by their abysmal ratings in recent polls," Fitzwilliams said.
He also argued that relations between the Sussexes and the wider Royal Family remain deeply strained.
"The Royal Family don't want them because, with good reason, they don't trust them. The Sussexes are ruthless and shameless, but they wouldn't try this. It would show Megxit for what it is, shallow, callous and, because it trades off their royal connections, which they were happy to attack so publicly, hypocritical in the extreme," Fitzwilliams said.
