Inside Harry and Meghan’s Quiet Strategy to Reverse Megxit—Even if Only Temporarily
After a milestone visit to the UK, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could be eyeing a permanent return, aiming to reverse the drama that defined their initial exit.
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from the royal family in 2020, their departure was given the crude moniker ‘Megxit’—a play on ‘Brexit.’ While harsh, it accurately depicted the bitter taste left by the unfolding drama. However, following Harry’s successful trip to his home country this month and the Sussexes’ reunion with King Charles, the couple might now be reconsidering a return to the UK.
“The Sussexes are seeking to reverse Megxit,” Alison Boshoff recently wrote for the Daily Mail. “It seems that a return to the UK is being contemplated in some form and that the couple’s holiday home in Portugal will be used as a staging post back to Britain.” Ever since leaving the UK, Harry and Meghan have carved out a life for themselves and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in Montecito. However, a friend of the Duke of Sussex reportedly noted that there is “definitely a feeling in his camp that he has started to feel a bit unwelcome in America."
The friend added that there has been an “increasing and significant shift in sentiment, a feeling that the American dream might not be all that it was cracked up to be." This perspective is apparently shared by Meghan as well as Harry. “I hear that Meghan is all for rekindling with and reconnecting with Harry’s English side. She is fully behind it,” the source noted. The couple may have already taken a few strides in that direction after reconnecting with Charles earlier this month at Highgrove.
After stepping back from the monarchy, Harry and Meghan initially seemed to be doing perfectly fine outside the royal shadow. Following their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, a hit Netflix docuseries, and the Duke’s bombshell memoir, they quickly became massive household names. However, as the royal gossip dried up, so did the viewership for their subsequent creative endeavors. “It is no secret that they went to the States to try and seek their fortune, to try to capitalize on his fame and his royalty to some degree,” the source said, adding that Meghan felt she was "trying to push fresh thoughts and projects, but it is not easy." While the couple did enjoy some early successes across the pond, the American dream now seems to be "cooling," leaving the Duchess of Sussex feeling like an "outcast."
On the other hand, England is where “Harry’s heart” has “always lain," and he never "wanted to be estranged from his family." As the source noted, “So maybe enough water has now passed under the bridge here for some form of a return.” While Boshoff wrote that a UK comeback may not be permanent or imminent, their Portuguese property could serve as a vital "stepping stone." An insider told the reporter that the couple “had a house built in Portugal for the kids to be close to their royal side in case they want to participate.”
According to Harry’s friend, the house is “a foot on the right side of the pond." The source added, "I believe that they spent time there after being in the UK last week and before it as well. It’s striking distance for them to get to London.” Whether the property serves as a permanent base or merely a stepping stone for reconciliation, it is clear that Harry and Meghan are actively keeping the door open to the UK—ensuring that their children remain connected to their royal heritage.
