Following years of living in Montecito, California, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have now returned to the UK. But just two weeks into their stay, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may soon be leaving Britain, according to royal journalist Dickie Arbiter. He joined host Jeremy Kyle on TalkTV on Wednesday and delivered a huge blow. It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were left “surprised” by the King’s formal reiteration they will be treated as “private citizens”. The couple did not have enough time to clarify any points before the guidance was issued to the media, it is understood. Harry’s father King Charles asked the Royal Household’s most senior officer the Lord Chamberlain to write to senior stakeholders within the Government and the military setting out guidelines on their status which confirmed they could not use their “HRH” titles.

Jeremy commented: “This preconceived belief they were going to come back and they were going to come back and the King released this letter via Lord Chamberlain. Do you think this will mean they won’t last long in the UK. It will be temporary. How long do you think they will be here?” Dickie suggested the Sussexes may leave the country sooner than they previously anticipated.

He replied: “I’m not sure they are here long-term. I firmly believe that they will go back to Montecito for Christmas because that’s where her mother is. Everybody talks about reconciliation with the King but what about reconciliation with Thomas Markle.”

Harry and Meghan ‘set to leave UK’ after Sussex humiliation (Image: PA)

Dickie Arbiter appeared on TalkTV alongside Jeremy Kyle (Image: TalkTV)

Lord Benyon’s letter reiterates the couple’s “current” status as non-working royals.

It reads, “This position, distinct from the state and royal duties undertaken by the working royal family, and with the personal latitude it brings the couple in respect of financial independence and protection of their privacy as they would wish, will continue to be fully respected.

“Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used.

It says their charitable work “is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity” adding, “In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”

It was revealed to the media at 3.06pm on Monday. It is understood the contents were shared with Harry and Meghan’s team almost an hour before at 1.59pm.

Meanwhile, the couple’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are expected to be starting school in the UK near to the family’s reported countryside retreat.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘Set to Leave UK’ After Sussexes Dealt Humiliating Blow

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to Britain has triggered a fresh wave of speculation about whether the Sussexes will remain in the country for the long term.

The couple moved back to the UK from California with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in August, marking a major change after around six years based in the United States. Yet within weeks, reports began circulating that the family could eventually leave Britain again.

The speculation has been fuelled by a series of awkward developments surrounding their return, particularly the decision by King Charles to formally confirm that Harry and Meghan remain non-working members of the Royal Family.

But there is currently no evidence of an imminent permanent departure.

In fact, Harry’s own comments this week point in the opposite direction.

Harry says his family is happy in Britain

Harry made his first major public appearance since returning to Britain on September 17, attending the inaugural Invictus Spirit Gala Dinner and Awards in London.

Asked about the family’s first weeks back in the country, the Duke of Sussex described the period as “eventful”.

But he also offered a positive assessment of their new life.

Harry said his children were in school, that the family was happy and that it was “great to be back on British soil”. He also spoke about looking forward to next year’s Invictus Games in Birmingham.

Those comments do not guarantee that the Sussexes will remain permanently in Britain.

However, they provide considerably stronger evidence than anonymous speculation that the family is preparing to leave.

The available reporting instead indicates that Harry and Meghan plan to maintain a home in Britain while retaining their California residence.

The Palace blow that changed the picture

The most significant setback surrounding the couple’s return came when Buckingham Palace formally clarified their status.

Just two weeks after the Sussexes returned, the Palace released a letter from the Lord Chamberlain to government, military and other official bodies.

The letter made clear that Harry and Meghan’s move back to Britain had not changed their position within the Royal Family.

They remain non-working royals.

Their HRH styles remain in abeyance, their charitable activities are undertaken privately and they are treated, for official purposes, broadly as private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.

That clarification was particularly important because their return had inevitably raised questions about whether they might gradually resume a more visible relationship with the monarchy.

The Palace’s answer was clear: living in Britain does not mean returning to royal duties.

Harry and Meghan were reportedly surprised

The manner in which the Palace announcement was handled also generated headlines.

The Guardian reported that Harry and Meghan were surprised by the timing of the letter and were given limited time to respond before details were released publicly.

That episode reinforced the distinction between the Sussexes’ private life and their institutional relationship with the monarchy.

Harry remains the King’s son and a prince, while Meghan remains the Duchess of Sussex.

But neither has been brought back into the working Royal Family.

For the couple, that means their British return is taking place on very different terms from their previous life as senior working royals.

Security remains a major issue

One of the most important practical questions surrounding their relocation is security.

Harry has spent years challenging decisions concerning the level of publicly funded protection available to him and his family in Britain.

Now that the family has returned as full-time residents, the issue is being reassessed.

The Royal and VIP Executive Committee, known as Ravec, is conducting separate risk assessments for Harry and Meghan.

Harry’s security review had already been under way, while Meghan is receiving a new assessment following the family’s relocation.

The outcome matters because security arrangements could have a direct effect on the family’s ability to establish a permanent routine in Britain.

The couple have previously argued that their security requirements remain significant even though they ceased to be working royals.

The British authorities, meanwhile, operate under a system that assesses protection according to security risk rather than simply royal status.

That distinction remains central to the dispute.

Their children’s schooling has already changed

Another complication emerged almost immediately after Archie and Lilibet began school in Britain.

The children are being moved to a different school following concerns about the practicalities of the journey and the security arrangements surrounding it.

Good Morning America reported that the decision followed concerns about the school run and the pressure it placed on the family’s security team.

The change does not necessarily indicate that the family is reconsidering Britain.

Indeed, it can also be interpreted as evidence that Harry and Meghan are attempting to make their new British life work by adapting arrangements that proved impractical.

Security considerations are particularly important because Harry has repeatedly said that protecting his children is one of his priorities.

Meghan has offered glimpses of family life

The couple have also provided some public evidence that they are settling into Britain.

On September 13, Meghan shared a short video offering a rare glimpse of family life in the UK.

The footage showed Harry and the children spending time outdoors and suggested that the family was becoming accustomed to its new surroundings.

Meghan has remained much less visible publicly than Harry since the relocation.

She did not attend the Invictus Spirit Gala in London, with reports indicating that she was concentrating on helping the children settle into their new routine.

That difference in public visibility should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of disagreement between the couple.

The Sussexes are not returning as working royals

Perhaps the biggest misunderstanding surrounding the story is the assumption that a return to Britain means a return to royal service.

It does not.

Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as senior working royals in 2020.

The Palace has now explicitly confirmed that their status remains unchanged.

Their charities and other activities can continue, but these are undertaken in a private capacity rather than as official duties on behalf of the Crown.

That arrangement means the couple can establish a family life in Britain without formally returning to the institution they left.

It also explains why their relocation does not necessarily require the Palace to offer them the same privileges or responsibilities associated with working members of the Royal Family.

Could they still return to California?

Yes.

But that would not necessarily mean the British move had failed.

Reports indicate that the couple intends to maintain their California home while establishing a primary base in Britain.

The Sussexes therefore appear to be pursuing a transatlantic lifestyle rather than necessarily choosing one country permanently.

That makes predictions about them “leaving the UK” particularly difficult to interpret.

A future trip to California, an extended stay there or even a temporary relocation would not automatically mean the family had abandoned Britain.

Their professional, family and charitable interests remain divided between the United States and Britain.

Invictus keeps Harry closely connected to Britain

Harry’s relationship with the Invictus Games is another reason his future in Britain cannot easily be separated from his public activities.

The organisation he founded supports wounded, injured and sick military personnel through adaptive sport.

The next Invictus Games are scheduled to take place in Birmingham in 2027, giving Harry a significant reason to maintain a British presence.

His September appearance in London demonstrated that he is already returning to a public programme of engagements connected with his charitable work.

The Invictus role does not make him a working royal.

It is a private charitable initiative founded by Harry.

But it does give him an established international platform in Britain.

The phrase “humiliating blow” needs context

The description of the Palace announcement as a “humiliating blow” is a political or media interpretation rather than an established fact.

The concrete development is that King Charles has made the Sussexes’ status unmistakable.

They can live in Britain, but they are not returning to official royal duties.

That may disappoint people who expected their relocation to produce a reconciliation within the institution.

But it is also consistent with the arrangement established when Harry and Meghan stepped away from royal duties.

The Palace has effectively separated two questions: where the Sussexes live and what role they perform for the monarchy.

The first can change without changing the second.

What happens next?

The coming months should provide a clearer indication of whether Britain becomes a lasting family base.

The security reviews will be important.

So will the children’s schooling and the family’s ability to establish a workable daily routine.

Harry’s continuing involvement with Invictus will also keep him connected to Britain, while Meghan’s business and media interests continue to have an international focus.

For now, the evidence does not support the claim that the Sussexes are definitively “set to leave” Britain.

Harry has publicly said that his family is happy and that he is pleased to be back. Reports indicate that the couple intends to maintain a UK residence while retaining their California home.

What has changed is the understanding of what their return means.

Harry and Meghan have come back to Britain as private citizens and non-working royals, not as restored members of the working monarchy.

Whether that arrangement eventually becomes permanent, or whether the family spends more time in California again, remains an open question.

For the moment, the strongest evidence points to a family attempting to build a new life between two countries — rather than one preparing for an immediate exit from Britain.