Prince Harry has no plans to return to his homeland. In the ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial, which aired on July 26 and explores several legal battles against U.K. newspapers, the Duke of Sussex voiced safety concerns about bringing his wife Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, back to Britain.
“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,” he said in the doc. “Whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
Harry announced in January 2020 that he and the Duchess of Sussex would be stepping back from their royal duties. In June of that year, the couple moved to California, where they currently reside with their two children.
After retreating from royal life, Harry and Meghan’s right to police security in the U.K. was removed by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures. In 2023, the Duke challenged the decision in court, offering to pay for police protection himself.
In a court statement at the time, Harry said he and Meghan “felt forced” to leave the U.K. due to safety concerns. His statement came after the former head of counterterrorism for the Metropolitan Police, Neil Basu, said the agency had found “disgusting and very real” threats to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
In February 2024, Harry lost his case against the U.K. government, but is able to appeal the court’s decision about his family’s access to police protection.
Harry’s Royal Rift
In the recent Tabloids on Trial doc, the Duke also spoke of his recent legal battles with British tabloids, which included taking a newspaper group to court over the alleged hacking of his phone.
Harry explained that his legal challenges have been a “central piece” in his rift with senior members of the royal family. However, he stands by his decision to call out the “torrent of abuse from the press.”
“It would be nice if we did it as a family,” he said in the doc. “I believe that from a service standpoint and when you’re in a public role, that these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good.”
Meghan Markle Says Opening Up About Her Mental Health Was “Worth It”
Meghan Markle keeps getting candid about her mental health. On Aug. 4, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry were interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning to talk about their latest project, The Parents Network, which aims to support parents whose children have been “affected by social media harms.”
During their sit-down, host Jane Pauley asked Meghan about her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which she shared that she “didn’t want to be alive anymore” during her time as a working member of the royal family. While the duchess “wasn’t expecting” to be asked about the famed interview, Meghan said she stands by her decision to open up to Winfrey about her struggles with mental health and thoughts of suicide at the time.
“When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey, certainly part of mine, is being able to be really open about it,” she said, adding that she hasn’t “really scraped the surface” about her experiences in the British monarchy following her and Harry’s exit from the royal sphere in early 2020.
“I would never want someone else to not be believed,” Meghan continued. “If me voicing what I have overcome will save someone, or encourage someone in their life to really, genuinely check in on them, and not assume that the appearance is good so everything’s OK, then that’s worth it.”
Following Harry and Meghan’s 2021 interview with Winfrey, which was watched by 17 million viewers in the United States alone, the royal family released a statement addressing the duchess’ comments about her mental health, among other revelations.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” a Buckingham Palace statement read. “While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”
Prince Harry Was “Devastated”
The Duke of Sussex previously spoke of his wife’s mental health struggles in the couple’s 2022 Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, revealing that he was “devastated” to learn she had been experiencing suicidal ideation.
“I never thought that it would get to that stage,” he said. “The fact that it got to that stage, I felt angry and ashamed. I didn’t deal with it particularly well. I dealt with it as ‘institutional Harry’ as opposed to ‘husband Harry.’ And what took over my feelings was my royal role.”