A timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the royal family as they return to the UK

A timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the royal family as they return to the UK 1 of 3 | Prince Harry, and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, walk along the boardwalk after meeting volunteer first responders from Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club, during a visit to Bondi Beach, Australia, Friday, April 17, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP,File) 2 of 3 | Britain’s Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, speaks at a roundtable about support for veterans, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 3 of 3 | Prince Harry, and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, arrive for an event, during a visit to Bondi Beach, Australia, April 17, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP, File) Updated 6:00 AM MESZ, August 20, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will return to the United Kingdom, seemingly marking the end to a yearslong rift between them and the royal family. The Daily Telegraph reported the couple won’t resume their roles as working members of the royal family, but returning to Britain means King Charles III, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, will get to spend more time with his grandchildren. Harry and Meghan quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, alleging hostility and racist attitudes by the press and royal establishment. But in recent months, there had been signs that the tumultuous relationship was beginning to thaw. Here is a timeline of recent events involving Harry and the British royal family. Prince Harry and American actor Meghan-markle" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="15828" data-entity-type="person">Meghan Markle meet on a blind date set up by a mutual friend. Harry confirms Markle is his girlfriend and condemns press coverage of her. He says he fears for her safety and says press coverage crossed the line and used “racial undertones” in its stories. His comments remind many that his mother, Princess Diana, had died in a car crash while being pursued by photographers. Prince Harry and Meghan are returning to the UK with their children 1 MIN READ 12 Queen Camilla wished she could share king’s diagnosis during a visit to cancer charity 1 MIN READ King Charles emerges from Doctor Who’s TARDIS to open Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 1 MIN READ Nov. 27, 2017 Meghan and Harry get married in a grand ceremony at Windsor Castle. Harry launches lawsuits against three newspaper groups — Rupert Murdoch’s News Group, the Mirror Group and Associated Newspapers. He claims stories about his school days, teenage shenanigans and relationships with girlfriends were obtained by hacking, bugging, deception or other forms of illegal intrusion. Harry and Meghan announce they plan to “step back” as senior royals and become financially independent. The decision soon becomes a major rift, and the couple moves to Meghan’s native California. The committee that oversees royal security decides Harry will not receive the same level of taxpayer-funded protection as he did when he was a full-time royal. Harry later launches legal action against the U.K. government over the security decision. Meghan wins an invasion of privacy lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers over publication of a letter she wrote in 2018 to her estranged father. Queen Elizabeth II dies, aged 96, after 70 years on the throne. Her eldest son becomes King Charles III. Harry’s ghostwritten memoir “Spare” is published and becomes a bestseller. It recounts Harry’s grief at the death of his mother when he was 12, his frustrations in his royal role and anger at his father, brother, stepmother and the media, among others. King Charles is crowned at Westminster Abbey. Harry attends without Meghan or the children. Harry testifies in his case against the Mirror Group, becoming the first British royal in more than a century to appear in the witness box. A three-day court hearing begins on Harry’s claim over his security. Lawyers for the prince argue the decision to downgrade his protection was “unlawful and unfair.” Harry wins his case against the Mirror Group when a judge rules that Mirror newspapers had hired private investigators to snoop for personal information and engaged in illegal phone hacking for well over a decade. He is awarded legal costs and 140,000 pounds ($190,000) in damages. Buckingham Palace announces that King Charles has cancer and will receive treatment. Officials don’t say what form of cancer the king has. Prince Harry arrives in the U.K. from California to visit his father. He departs the next day. The High Court dismisses Harry’s security claim. He appeals the decision. The publisher of tabloid newspaper The Sun settles a lawsuit, offering Harry “a full and unequivocal apology” for intruding on his private life between 1996 and 2011, including incidents of unlawful activities. Three Court of Appeal judges dismiss Harry’s case, saying the security decision was “sensible.” Harry responds in an interview, saying the decision means he can’t bring his wife and children to his home country. In a long and at times emotional television interview, Harry says he wants reconciliation but also re-airs grievances against the royal family, the U.K. government and the media. Harry arrives in the U.K. to visit his charities amid signs of a thaw in the frigid relationship between him and the rest of the royal family. The trip corresponds with the third anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Harry joins King Charles for tea in London, marking the first time they’ve met in more than a year. Prince Andrew announces that he is giving up his royal title of the Duke of York and other honors after his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein returned to the headlines. King Charles hosts Harry and meets with his family for the first time in years as they try to repair the rift. Harry, Meghan and their two children met with the king and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House, a country estate west of London. Plans are revealed that Harry and Meghan will return to the UK, but they won’t resume their roles as working members of the royal family. This is an updated version of a story that first ran on May 3, 2025.