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Prince Harry Says He ‘Very Much Enjoys’ Raising Kids in U.S. Amid Rift With British Royal Family
Prince Harry has no regrets about moving his family to the United States.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, discussed his life in the U.S. with wife Meghan Markle and kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet during an interview with columnist and Dealbook founder Andrew Ross Sorkin at The New York Times DealBook Online Summit in New York City on Wednesday, December 4.
Ross, 47, asked if Harry wanted to stay in the U.S., especially amid the concerns for his safety in the United Kingdom, and the father of two responded, “I do.”
“I very much enjoy living here and bringing my kids up here. It’s a part of my life that I never thought I was going to live,” Harry said. “I feel as though it’s the life that my mom wanted for me. To be able to do the things I’m able to do with my kids that I undoubtedly wouldn’t be able to do in the U.K. — it’s huge. That is a fantastic opportunity and I’m hugely grateful for that.”
Harry and Meghan, 43, moved to Montecito, California, in 2020 after they stepped down as senior royals earlier that year. Harry’s father, King Charles III, evicted the couple from their Frogmore Cottage home in Windsor, England, following their decision.
An insider told The Sun in February 2023 that Charles, 75, began the process of kicking Harry and Meghan out of the cottage on January 9, 2023 — one day before the release of Harry’s memoir, Spare, which contains several bombshell allegations about his family.
“This [eviction] surely spells the end of Harry and Meghan’s time in the U.K.,” the source said at the time.
Buckingham Palace later confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had their remaining possessions packed up and moved out of Frogmore Cottage by June 2023.
“We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore Cottage,” Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said at a Sovereign Grant account briefing at the time, according to Sky News. “We will not be going into any detail on those arrangements here. Safe to say that, as has previously been stated, the duke and duchess have paid for the expenditure incurred by the Sovereign Grant in relation to the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, thus leaving the Crown with a greatly enhanced asset.”
Harry and Meghan’s move, in addition to the memoir, left a major strain on the couple’s relationship with Charles and Harry’s brother, Prince William. However, the younger son of the late Princess Diana admitted during ITV’s July documentary Tabloids on Trial that he no longer felt safe in the U.K.
“It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read,” Harry said. “And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
On the other hand, a source exclusively told Life & Style in March that a “homesick” Harry has felt drawn back to the U.K. amid his father’s cancer battle.
“He wants to help out,” the insider said, noting that the duke was considering a move back to England. “Harry apologized to William for all the drama he’s caused, and ever since then, they’ve been in contact a lot more. William has even been encouraging Harry to come back home, too.”
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