It’s official: The Sussexes are back in the UK.
They arrived via private plane to Birmingham airport Wednesday, capping off a frenzied week of reporting around their unexpected return. Prince Harry and Meghan have enrolled their children, 7-year-old Prince Archie and 5-year-old Princess Lilibet, in school for what has been described as the family’s “extended” stay back in Britain.
The duke plans to continue his charity work, with the next installment of his Invictus Games set for Birmingham in 2027. Reports that the duchess is in talks to join the third season of the Gentlemen on Netflix have swirled; nothing has been confirmed yet. A spokesperson for the couple told the BBC that they brought their dogs with them. (Their rescue chickens, however, remain in California.)
I have shared my many thoughts, as it were, on the move here and here. And together we have had some riveting discussions in the comments on what this all means. THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to weigh in! I am delighted at our nuanced, constructive corner of the internet. Join us, won’t you?
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What can we expect now that Harry and Meghan have arrived? I reached out to Dan Wakeford, the former editor-in-chief of People and UsWeekly magazines. He has covered the biggest names in the zeitgeist for decades, including extensive reporting on the Windsors.
Wakeford offered his insights on homesick Harry, the spin around Meghan’s possible the role on The Gentlemen, the verdict on their time in Hollywood, why William risks looking “petty,” and more.
🎧 Keep scrolling to LISTEN to our full conversation. As an avid podcast fan myself, I find the back-and-forth format to be a compelling way to deep dive — I’m excited to do more of this here. Let me know what you think in the comments.
PS: You can find Dan Wakeford on Instagram here and subscribe to his must-read newsletter, Celebrity Intelligence, here. He offers highly informed takes on all matters of pop culture, with analysis based on years of experience.
Veteran entertainment journalist Dan Wakeford is one of the few reporters covering the royal family to predict Harry and Meghan’s move months ago. Back in April — yes, April — he floated the idea of the Duchess of Sussex returning to acting and Prince Harry wanting out of Hollywood.
“A source says she’s thinking about it,” Wakeford wrote of Meghan in his newsletter, Celebrity Intelligence. As for Harry, “he misses his family, his friends, his former existence in the UK.”
Wakeford is a well-sourced writer and editor who has covered the entertainment industry and the Windsors for the better part of three decades. Having followed his work from afar, I figured it was high time I give him a call to get his take on the latest with the Sussexes.
Here is a taste of what Dan had to say:
ON HARRY WANTING SOMETHING ELSE: Harry has been very unhappy in America for a long time…The people I talked to in their circle, and this was back in April, said that he would be very happy in a much quieter life, a stripped-down life, not necessarily in England even, but a life that was a lot simpler.
ON WHAT DRIVES MEGHAN AND HARRY: They’re very happy as a couple, from what the people I’ve talked to have said, but they’re kind of mismatched in the sense of what drives them. Meghan is very focused on commercialism, and being successful, and being very showy, whereas Harry is not. Harry wants to do good for the world in a very earnest way.
ON THE SUSSEXES’ TIME IN CALIFORNIA: Their experience has shown really that Hollywood is interested in you when you’ve got a story to tell or there’s cultural heat around you. But once that goes, they’re not sticking around.
ON THE BACK AND FORTH OVER MEGHAN’S ROLE ON THE GENTLEMEN: The guidance from the Sussex camp wasn’t to not cover this story. It was encouraging journalists to pick up this story and and continue with this dialogue, because the dialogue did make Meghan look better. It made it look like: Yes, she was a strong part of this decision. It was a positive thing for her and her career.
ON THE RIFT BETWEEN WILLIAM AND HARRY: William is not going to be able to ignore this problem in the same way he can when [Harry is] 6,000 miles away in California. William is resolute at the moment, and he’s known to be very stubborn and pig-headed… There is a balance between what is right for the monarchy and what is right for the family. I think ultimately William is aware of that. He treats this as being a potential CEO of the monarchy and he approaches it like a business. If you’re doing that, I think he is likely to make up with Harry, not with his heart, but with his head.
ON WHETHER THEY RETURN AS WORKING ROYALS: Looking at what Harry asked for from the [late] Queen [Elizabeth II] at that big Sandringham Summit, when he wanted to be “half in and half out” and she turned him down, looking really at what he asked for, he achieved a lot of those things. And so it doesn’t really matter. Harry’s achieved it. He is half in and half out. He is a half working royal. Everything he asked for, he kind of got — other than the security, obviously. But whether it is in name or whether it isn’t, the presence is going to be there and the pressure will be on William to make up with him or look petty.
ON ENROLLING THEIR KIDS IN SCHOOL IN THE UK: Meghan and Harry both want their kids to have an understanding of where they come from, and the appeal of royal lineage is big to Meghan. And so encouraging that is something that I think Meghan is keen on — I think anybody would be and they understand the appeal of being royal and being a prince and princess.
As for Christmas morning at Sandringham, Dan and I got into a bit of debate. The question of whether the Sussexes will join the royal family procession to church broadened into examining how Charles will act amidst the continued tension between his sons. Then I asked Dan to predict a few things: How long will Harry and Meghan stay in the UK? Will they sell their California house? When will see see a picture of Archie and Lilibet — and will it be with the king?
🎧 Answers to those questions and more in our full conversation. Click below to listen!
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