Prince Harry and Meghan are preparing to relocate from California to Britain this autumn, marking a significant reversal of their 2020 departure from royal duties. According to reporting from a major news agency, their children Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, are already enrolled at British schools and are expected to begin classes in September. The family will occupy a private residence outside London while maintaining their California and Portugal properties, remaining non-working royals consistent with an agreement established with the late Queen Elizabeth.
The move comes as the couple's entertainment and lifestyle ventures in the United States have struggled to gain sustained traction. In late July, Meghan's lifestyle brand As Ever launched a blackberry preserve accompanied by a carefully produced video of her harvesting the fruit. Yet as the couple prepares to cross the Atlantic, branding experts warn that their portfolio of projects lacks coherence and clear direction.
Since departing the Royal Family six years ago, Harry and Meghan have pursued ventures spanning streaming, podcasting, and consumer goods. However, these initiatives have largely failed to build the enduring audiences and financial success initially anticipated. Andrew Stephen, the L'Oréal professor of marketing at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, observes that while the couple
attracted enormous attention and were initially very good at monetising it, they have struggled to
convert that initial success into an enduring brand.
Why Has Their Brand Strategy Struggled?
The Sussexes' portfolio has become fragmented across social impact, entertainment, and lifestyle sectors, making it difficult for audiences to understand what their brand fundamentally represents. Stephen notes that this fragmentation has created confusion about their core identity and value proposition.
The couple's financial arrangements with major platforms have yielded disappointing returns relative to their scale. They received a reported $100 million (£73 million) from Netflix in 2020 to produce content, yet the five-year deal generated only five shows, including the six-part documentary series Harry & Meghan and two seasons of the lifestyle programme With Love, Meghan, both of which drew modest streaming audiences. Netflix subsequently replaced the original arrangement with a first-look agreement for future pitches, and only one new Archewell production has been announced so far this year.
Their 2020 Spotify agreement, reported to be worth $25 million (£18 million), proved similarly unsuccessful. In 2023, Archewell Productions and Spotify issued a joint statement confirming they had
mutually agreed to part ways. Spotify declined to renew Meghan's 12-episode podcast Archetypes for a second season.
What Does Their Return to the UK Mean for Their Brand?
The relocation presents both opportunities and risks for the couple's carefully constructed image. Returning to Britain could enhance their cultural relevance by reconnecting them with the British royal context from which they have attempted to distance themselves. However, this proximity to the institution they publicly criticised may undermine their efforts to establish an independent, American-style celebrity and media brand.
Susan Fournier, a branding expert and former professor at Harvard Business School and Boston University, warns that the couple's repeated strategic pivots have damaged their brand coherence.
Every time a brand does a 180 like that, you can't go back, Fournier explains. She emphasises that the most successful brands maintain consistency in their public image, and another apparent reversal risks appearing opportunistic rather than purposeful.
The couple have shifted identities multiple times: from royal insiders offering privileged access to palace life, to royal critics discussing their experiences with the institution, to media producers, and most recently to lifestyle influencers. Each transition has created distance between their stated values and their commercial activities.
What New Opportunities Exist in the UK?
Meghan's professional focus has centred on As Ever since 2024, her lifestyle brand selling jams, teas, candles and other products
crafted to elevate your everyday and inspire moments of joy. According to reporting from a national news outlet, Meghan will continue operating As Ever from the couple's new British base. The brand was initially supported by Netflix before that partnership ended in March, yet there is no indication the venture will cease following their relocation.
A potential acting opportunity has also emerged. The Duchess is in early-stage discussions about a role in Netflix's The Gentlemen, a comedy series created by Guy Ritchie centred on a duke who becomes involved in drug trafficking. This would represent her first significant acting project since marrying Prince Harry, marking a return to her pre-royal career.
The couple possess additional income sources beyond their entertainment deals. Harry's memoir Spare became the fastest-selling non-fiction book in the UK since records began in 1998, generating substantial royalties. They also benefit from inheritance and other financial assets accumulated over their years in California.
Could the Cotswolds Refresh Their Brand?
The couple are believed to have spent time in the Cotswolds earlier this summer, and reports suggest they may establish a base in the affluent region. Laura Stoloff, an American stylist and creative director who divides her time between London and the Cotswolds, sees potential synergy between Meghan's lifestyle brand and the aesthetics of English country living.
I actually think it could make her brand more distinctive, Stoloff tells observers.
There is still a lot of fascination with English country life, particularly in America, and she has the ability to bring that to a very large, global audience.
The Cotswolds location could provide visual and thematic material for As Ever's marketing, connecting the brand to established British heritage and rural elegance. This positioning might differentiate Meghan's lifestyle venture from competitors and appeal to her existing American audience's romanticised view of English country culture.
However, Stephen cautions that geography alone cannot revitalise a struggling brand.
A return to the UK could be a useful brand reset, but a postcode does not reposition a brand. Behaviour does.Meaningful change would require the couple to demonstrate sustained commitment to a clearly defined set of values and projects rather than continuing to shift between different ventures.
What Happens Next?
Prince Harry is expected to return to Britain next month for engagements related to WellChild and the Invictus Games, the sporting event for injured service personnel that he founded. According to reporting from a major news agency, the family's extended stay beginning this autumn will see Archie and Lilibet begin their British education in September. The couple will maintain their status as non-working royals, consistent with their 2020 agreement, meaning they will not resume official royal duties or titles.
The relocation represents a critical juncture for the Sussexes' brand identity. Their success in the coming months will depend on whether they can establish a coherent, consistent narrative around their work and values—or whether their return to Britain will be perceived as yet another strategic pivot in a pattern of unfulfilled ventures.
