How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Spent Their Final Weekend at Their Montecito Home Before U.K. Move

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spent their final weekend in California soaking up the sunshine with friends and family before beginning their next chapter back across the pond.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who put down roots in Montecito after purchasing a $14.65 million mansion in 2020, arrived in the U.K. on Aug. 26 with their children, Archie and Lilibet, just one week after revealing plans to trade California's palm trees for Harry's home country.

According to People, the family bid farewell to the West Coast on the evening of Aug. 25, traveling to England aboard a private jet.

Before their departure, Harry and Meghan spent their final days in Montecito, surrounded by some of their closest friends, as well as Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, an insider told the outlet.

“They wanted to spend time with the people they’re closest to before they left and for the kids to have some special time with friends,” the source said. “It wasn’t a goodbye forever. It was much more, ‘We’ll be back, but this is what we’re doing right now.’"

The insider added that emotions ran high as the Sussexes said goodbye to the life and loved ones they were leaving behind.

“They’ve been planning this for some time, and they feel it’s the right thing for their family, but that doesn’t mean leaving was easy. Meghan really loves their life in Montecito and their home there. They know it’s going to take a little bit of time for everyone to settle in and adjust. There’s excitement about what’s ahead too, especially for the kids," the source added.

The insider revealed that Harry “wants them to understand the world he grew up in and where their family comes from.”

“Meghan feels very fortunate that they’re able to give Archie and Lilibet the opportunity to experience both worlds,” the source added.

Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are said to have already enrolled Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, at a British school, which they will begin attending in September, according to reports from U.K. publication The Telegraph and People magazine.

Insiders told both publications that the couple will establish a private residence in the U.K. However, it is unclear whether they will base themselves near London or in the countryside. Harry and Meghan have not had a British home base since 2023, when they were forced to give up their lease on Frogmore Cottage, the royal residence in Windsor, where they moved after their 2018 wedding.

Harry's father, King Charles, is understood to have been informed of the couple's plans on Aug. 16, and he is reportedly excited for the "opportunity to see more of the Sussex family in a private and personal capacity." However, the New York Times states that the matter was not discussed during the Sussexes' recent meeting with the king in the U.K.

There is no suggestion that the move means Harry and Meghan will return to their former roles as working members of the royal family. In fact, insiders note that Charles has made clear the couple will continue to act as private individuals.

Those same sources also insist that Harry and Meghan are not currently planning to let go of their $14.65 million Montecito mansion, which they purchased in June 2020, soon after stepping down from their royal roles.

When the couple moved, Archie was still an infant, and Lilibet was born in California. Both children have attended school in the Montecito area in recent years—while Meghan has been busy building a lifestyle brand, As Ever, which was inspired by her life in the California enclave.

Meghan will continue to run her business from her new home in the U.K., sources stated, while the move will allow Harry to further involve himself in the British charities that he has been working with for several years.

Their decision to relocate back to the U.K. suggests a significant thawing in the rift between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family, a divide that has been further deepened by Harry and Meghan's repeated attacks on the monarchy—including in their explosive tell-all primetime interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

During that sit-down, the couple made several bombshell allegations about their treatment at the hands of other members of the royal family, accusations that Harry doubled down on in his memoir, "Spare," which was published in January 2023.

However, in recent months, Harry has shown a desire to reconnect with his family—and his father, in particular—especially after Charles was diagnosed with cancer in January 2024.

"I know that Charles is the reason they are moving back," one source told Page Six of the couple's decision.

Indeed, the news comes just weeks after Harry and Meghan made their first visit to the U.K. as a family in four years, traveling to Britain with their children for a trip that spanned several days—and followed a vacation in Portugal, where they own a vacation home.

While Meghan and the children are not understood to have spent any time in London with Harry, who had several work commitments in the capital, they did have the opportunity to meet with King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla.

They then traveled to West Northamptonshire to stay with Charles Spencer, the brother of Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, at the family's longtime estate, Althorp.

Interestingly, Harry and Meghan's return to the U.K. comes amid an ongoing battle between the Duke of Sussex and the British government over the family's taxpayer-funded security, which was revoked after they stepped down as working royals.

His decision to move back to his home country suggests that he feels slightly more at ease with the situation—so much so that he is happy for his wife and children to live there, potentially without any government protection.

It is not immediately clear where Harry and Meghan will live with their children. However, many members of the royal family, including Prince William and Princess Kate, have chosen to base themselves outside of London to ensure more privacy in their day-to-day lives.

William, 44, and Kate, 44, moved to Windsor with their children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—in summer 2022, and recently moved into a new property on the grounds of Windsor Great Park, not far from Windsor Castle.

Though King Charles maintains his primary residence at Clarence House in Westminster, his favorite property has long been known to be Highgrove House, an idyllic countryside retreat in Gloucestershire, where he and Camilla spend many weekends.

During the early days of their relationship, Harry and Meghan resided together in a quaint property called Nottingham Cottage, which is located on the grounds of Kensington Palace. It was there that the duo got engaged.

Despite the fond memories that Harry and Meghan hold from their time living in Nott Cott, the prince confessed in his bombshell memoir, "Spare," that he was "embarrassed" about showing the humble abode to his then-girlfriend for the first time.

"I was excited to welcome Meg to my home, but also embarrassed. Nott Cott was no palace. Nott Cott was palace adjacent—that was the best you could say for it," he wrote.

Meghan also doubled down on those feelings in the couple's Netflix docuseries, "Harry & Meghan."

"Kensington Palace sounds very regal, of course it does, it says 'palace' in the name. But Nottingham Cottage was so small," she recalled.

"People thought we lived in a palace and we did. Well, a cottage in a palace."

They relocated to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor after their wedding in a bid to gain more privacy—suggesting that they may choose a location outside of London as a home base for their family.

Should Harry want his children to follow in his footsteps as far as schooling is concerned, this would also mean Archie and Lilibet being educated away from London.

Harry began his studies at Wetherby School in London before moving to Ludgrove School, and later enrolled at Eton College, alongside his older brother. It was announced this summer that William's elder son, George, 13, will begin at Eton in September.

Meanwhile, William and Kate's younger two children, Charlotte, 11, and Louis, 8, will continue to attend Lambrook School in Windsor.