‘It’s the life that my mum wanted for me’: Prince Harry rules out returning to the UK

Prince Harry has candidly shared why a return to the United Kingdom seems off the table, describing his new life in the United States as one his late mother, Princess Diana, would have wanted.

Speaking at The New York Times DealBook Summit, Harry expressed his happiness with the life he has built with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, in California.

“I very much enjoy living here and bringing up my kids here,” he said.

“It’s a part of my life that I never thought that I was gonna live.”

Harry’s decision to step back from royal duties in 2020, alongside Meghan, dramatically altered his relationship with Royal Family. Tensions escalated following their departure, particularly after the couple’s explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they detailed struggles within the royal institution. Harry’s memoir and subsequent interviews further criticised the Royal Family, deepening the rift.

Despite these challenges, Harry stands by his choice, saying it aligns with what his mother would have wanted for him.

“I feel as though it’s the life that my mum wanted for me,” he said.

“To be able to do the things I’m able to do with my kids that I undoubtedly wouldn’t be able to do in the U.K. — it’s huge.”

Harry added that his priority remains “being the best husband and the best dad that I can be.”

Harry has previously addressed his reluctance to return to the UK, particularly in the ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial, in which he reflected on why it is “dangerous” for his wife to return to the UK and why he won’t bring her back to his homeland.

“Look at what has happened in the last four years to me, my wife and my family, right?” he began.

“So that was a very hard decision for me to make, which is, how bad is it going to get?

“It’s still dangerous. And all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff, to act on what they have read.

“And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is. And these are things that are a genuine concern for me.

“It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”