The real reason my friends Harry and Meghan are finally coming back to Britain – and how their new life will look: BRYONY GORDON
In this personal column, journalist Bryony Gordon, a friend of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, reflects on witnessing Harry and Meghan's final engagement as working royals at Buckingham Palace in March 2020, ahead of reports that the couple are now finally set to return to Britain. Gordon frames their departure as a pivotal, emotional moment for the monarchy, and her account offers a personal perspective on how much has changed in the more than six years since, as speculation grows about what a fresh chapter in the UK might look like for the couple.
Gordon recalls the grey afternoon of the Sussexes' departure, held around the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, describing an emotional farewell with Meghan and a subdued Harry, who had just completed his final duties as Captain General of the Royal Marines. She notes the couple left for Canada and then California within days, and traces the ensuing distance between them and the Royal Family, including Harry's rare UK visits for the Queen's funeral and King Charles's Coronation, and her own 2023 trip to their Montecito home to interview Harry about his memoir, Spare, at a time when the rift seemed at its widest.
- Friend Bryony Gordon recalls Harry and Meghan's 2020 royal departure.
- Piece precedes reports the couple will return to Britain.
- Recounts the emotional farewell and years of estrangement since.
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Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved first to Canada and then to California, where they have lived ever since. Their departure marked one of the most significant shake-ups to the monarchy in recent memory, following a period of tension between the couple and other senior royals. Since then, contact with the Royal Family has been limited, with Harry making only occasional trips to Britain, including for the Queen's funeral in 2022 and the King's Coronation in 2023.
The rift between Harry and his family widened further with the 2023 publication of his memoir, Spare, in which he made a series of personal and pointed claims about royal life and his relatives. Meghan, meanwhile, has largely stayed away from the UK, and the couple have built a new life in America centred on business ventures, media projects and their two children. Reports have periodically surfaced about the possibility of reconciliation or a return to Britain, though nothing has been confirmed by either side.
This piece is a personal reflection by journalist Bryony Gordon, who is a friend of the couple, looking back on the day they left royal life behind and considering how much has changed since. It offers a first-hand perspective rather than an official announcement, set against the backdrop of ongoing speculation about what any future involving the Sussexes and Britain might look like.