No royal role for Sussexes: King Charles 'welcomes' Harry, Meghan’s UK 'return'

King Charles has reportedly welcomed Prince Harry and Meghan’s planned return to Britain, but there will be no change to their status as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family.King Charles learnt of Harry and Meghan’s plans to return to Britain only on Sunday, with the move not raised during their family visit to the UK in July. The King is said to be pleased at the prospect of seeing more of the Sussex family, but only in a private and personal capacity, reported CNN.The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to move from California to a private residence outside London later this month. Their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, have also been enrolled at a British school for the coming term, as per BBC.The move was not discussed when the Sussex family visited Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove in July. It was the first time the King had seen Archie and Lilibet in person in more than four years. Prince William and Princess Catherine have also been informed of the plans.Also read: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are shifting to the UKMove to the USHarry and Meghan left Britain in March 2020 after announcing they would step back from their roles as senior working royals. They initially moved to Canada before settling in California, where they bought a home in Montecito, near Santa Barbara. The couple have since lived largely away from royal life and built careers through media deals and other commercial ventures.Their departure was driven by a combination of intense media scrutiny, concerns over security and tensions within the royal family. In the years that followed, Harry and Meghan spoke publicly about their experiences within the monarchy, including in their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, their Netflix documentary series and Harry’s memoir Spare.Relations with the royal family became increasingly strained, particularly between Harry and his father, King Charles, and his elder brother, Prince William. Harry has also repeatedly raised concerns about his security in Britain, arguing that the withdrawal of automatic police protection made it unsafe for him to bring Meghan and their children to the UK.The relationship between Harry and Charles has shown signs of improvement in recent months. The two met in September last year after a 20-month gap, while Charles hosted Harry, Meghan and their children at Highgrove in July, marking the first time he had seen Archie and Lilibet in person since 2022.Despite the apparent thaw with his father, Harry’s relationship with William remains strained. His planned return to Britain will also bring renewed attention to the security dispute, after he lost a legal challenge last year against the decision to downgrade his taxpayer-funded protection.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.