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What Meghan Markle Has Said About Living in the U.K.

Watch: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Moving Back to U.K. With Kids Archie, Lilibet

Meghan Markle is prepared as ever for her move back to the United Kingdom.

After all, the Duchess of Sussex has been candid about the time she spent abroad with husband Prince Harry before the couple—who share shares kids Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5—stepped back from their duties as senior royals and relocated to California in 2020.

One common issue the 45-year-old experienced was a lack of privacy from the British paparazzi, a relationship she described as “complicated” during the early days of her and Harry’s relationship.

“My British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life,” she recalled in a 2019 interview with Tom Bradby. “And I, very naively—I’m American. We don’t have that there.”

And even though Harry, now 41, publicly condemned the press for its “wave of abuse and harassment” against Meghan, the scrutiny she continued to face from tabloids took a toll on her mental health.

“I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a ‘stiff upper lip’” Meghan told Bradby, “but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.”

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Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Moving Back to U.K. With Kids 6 Years After Stepping Back From Royal Duties

As such, the Suits alum admitted that she often remained holed up inside while living in the U.K., telling Oprah Winfrey in 2021 there was a period where she only left the house twice in four months.

“There was very little that I was allowed to do,” Meghan said. “So, of course, that breeds loneliness when you’ve come from such a full life, or when you’ve come from freedom.”

While Meghan and Harry will be relocating to a non-royal residence later this month, they previously lived at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace—which they clarified was not as “regal” as it sounds.

“Nottingham Cottage was so small,” Meghan said on her 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan. “He would hit his head constantly in that place ’cause he’s so tall. Me with a hoe, and H varnishing. It was just a chapter in our lives where I don’t think anyone could believe what it was actually like behind the scenes.”

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They eventually moved into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, England, which Meghan described as “a place where we had so many memories.”

“From our courtship, our engagement, our wedding, our walks,” she recalled. “And then where we ended up, you know, having our baby.”

Another part of British life she enjoyed was the music, later sharing on With Love, Meghan in 2025, “Honestly, one of the things I miss the most about the U.K. is the radio station Magic.”

Still, it took time for Meghan to adjust to royal family culture.

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

“I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside,” she explained. “That there is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and you go, ‘Oh, great. Okay, we can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides, and that was surprising to me.”

She especially felt that dynamic when she first met Harry’s older brother Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton. As she Meghan put it, “They came for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.”

But now, six years after leaving the U.K., Meghan and Harry are moving back for an extended period of time, multiple outlets reported Aug. 19, with Archie and Lilibet enrolled in school at the beginning in September.

Meghan Markle/Instagram

And given her rocky history with British tabloids, Meghan is doing all that she can to protect her children from paparazzi who may be camped outside of their school soon.

“Sorry, I have a problem with that,” Meghan bluntly said in a 2022 interview with The Cut, voicing concerns the press’ interest in her kids. “That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”

Keep reading for more insight into Meghan and Harry’s parenthood journey—in their own words.

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Uncle Harry”I don’t think you can force these things. It will happen when it’s gonna happen,” he told Sky News back in 2015 when asked if the birth of his niece Princess Charlotte made him think about settling down. “Of course, I would love to have kids right now, but there’s a process that one has to go through.”

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Planning for Her Little OneYears ago, Meghan even made a purchase with her future daughter in mind. “I’ve always coveted the Cartier French Tank watch. When I found out Suits had been picked up for our third season—which, at the time, felt like such a milestone—I totally splurged and bought the two-tone version,” she recalled to Hello! in 2015. “I had it engraved on the back, ‘To M.M. From M.M.’ and I plan to give it to my daughter one day.”

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Waiting for That Special SomeoneFatherhood is a subject that—along with marriage—has long trailed Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana‘s younger son. “There have been moments through life, especially when we do a tour abroad, when I think, ‘I’d love to have kids now’… And then there are other times when I bury my head in the sand going, ‘All right, don’t need kids!’ There’s no rush. I tell you what: There’s been times I’ve been put off having children,” he admitted to People back in May 2016, shortly before meeting his future wife.

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Looking Towards the FutureIn 2017, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their engagement and sat for their first joint interview. Naturally, the topic of future kids came up. “Of course. You know, I think you know one step at a time, and hopefully, we’ll start a family in the near future,” Prince Harry said at the time with Meghan smiling beside him.

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Joys of Motherhood”It’s magic,” Meghan said about becoming a mum following Archie’s birth. “It’s pretty amazing and, I mean, I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy.”

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Proud PopsFollowing Archie’s birth in May 2019, Harry gushed, “It’s been the most amazing experience I can ever possibly imagine. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension but we’re both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all the love and support from everybody out there. It’s been amazing so we just wanted to share this with everybody.”

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Changed for GoodHarry reflected on the lessons he’s learned since becoming a parent during a speech at the National Youth Mentoring Summit in 2019. He shared, “I’m struck by a few things today, most of which is the power of the invisible role model. The person who may be sitting here today that doesn’t realize that someone looks up to them that—for that person—you inspire them to be kinder, better, greater, more successful, more impactful. Perhaps it’s the newfound clarity I have as a father knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behavior, one day maybe even following in my footsteps.”

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Doting on Archie”Our little man is our No. 1 priority but then our work after that is the second priority,” Prince Harry shared during a speaking engagement in 2020, “and we’re just doing everything we can to try and play our part in trying to make the world a better place.”

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Archie’s FirstsHarry and Meghan found a silver lining amid the coronavirus pandemic through baby Archie. “In so many ways we are fortunate to be able to have this time to watch him grow, and in the absence of COVID, we would be traveling and working more externally,” Meghan shared in October 2020. “We’d miss a lot of those moments. So I think it’s been a lot of really good family time.”Harry added, “We were both there for Archie’s first steps, his first run, his first fall, everything.”

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Awaiting Her Baby Girl’s ArrivalIn May 2021, Meghan made a rare TV appearance during Global Citizen’s VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World special. The former actress opened up about her pregnancy and shared her excitement about raising a daughter. “My husband and I are thrilled to soon be welcoming a daughter. It’s a feeling of joy we share with millions of other families around the world,” she said at the time. “When we think of her, we think of all the young women and girls around the globe who must be given the ability and the support to lead us forward.”She added, “Their future leadership depends on the decisions we make and the actions we take now to set them up, and set all of us up, for a successful, equitable and compassionate tomorrow.”

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Raising the FutureMeghan makes a brief cameo in her husband’s Apple TV+ series with Oprah, The Me You Can’t See. During her appearance, the California native seemingly pays tribute to her growing family with a shirt that reads, “Raising the Future.”

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Party of Four!The couple welcomed their baby girl. In a statement shared on their Archewell Foundation page, they gushed, “On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”

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Book WormsOn June 8, 2021, Meghan will release her first children’s book, The Bench, which is a celebration of fatherhood from a mother’s perspective. Of her new project, she said in a press release in May, “The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born. That poem became this story.”

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Reflecting on Those Early DaysIn an October 2021 letter to then-House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer explaining her support for mandatory paid parental leave in the U.S., Meghan wrote of being “overjoyed” but “overwhelmed” when her daughter was born when the pandemic was still preventing business as usual in hospitals, schools, etc.”Like fewer parents, we weren’t confronted with the harsh reality of either spending those first few critical months with our baby or going back to work,” she wrote. “We knew we could take her home, and in that vital (and sacred) stage, devote any and everything to our kids and to our family. We knew that by doing so we wouldn’t have to make impossible choices about childcare, work, and medical care that so many have to make every single day.”Meghan continued, “No family should be faced with these decisions. No family should have to choose between earning a living and having the freedom to take care of their child (or a loved one, or themselves, as we would see with a comprehensive paid leave plan).”

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Screen StarOn TODAY in April 2022, Harry shared that separating parenting from his work-at-home routine was pretty much a nonstarter.”Archie spends more time interrupting our Zoom calls than anybody else,” he said. “He also gets them often as well, so that’s a nice thing.”Harry noted that he could already see his own sly sense of humor in his son. “I always try and keep that,” he added. “I think that the cheekiness is something that keeps you alive.”

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Raising Kids in the Digital AgeMeghan admitted she was concerned for her—and everybody else’s—kids in the age of social media.”Being a mom is the most important thing in my entire life—outside, of course, being a wife to this one,” she said, gesturing to Harry, during an October 2023 talk at the Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit: Mental Wellness in the Digital Age, part of Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day”But I will say,” she added, “I feel fortunate that our children are at an age, again quite young, so this isn’t in our immediate future, but I also feel frightened at how it’s continuing to change and this will be in front of us.”Noting that “the days are long but the years are short” as a parent, Meghan continued, “Everyone is affected by the online world and social media. We all just want to feel safe.”

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My Mother, My Mirror”Our daughter, Lili, she’s much, much tinier than you guys,” Meghan told a class of kindergarteners during a May 2024 visit to Lightway Academy in Abuja, Nigeria. “She’s about to turn 3. And a few weeks ago, she looked at me and she would just see the reflection in my eyes. And she [goes], ‘Mama, I see me in you.'””Now, she was talking really literally,” Meghan added. “But I hung onto those words in a very different way. And I thought, ‘Yes, I do see me in you, and you see me in you.'”

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