The King was not involved in the decision made by his son and daughter-in-law.
This was a surprise to him and the wider Royal Family. The King was told on Sunday that Harry and Meghan would be moving back. He is said to welcome the chance to spend more time with the Sussex family privately.
However, the move should not be seen as a precursor to a repaired relationship between Harry and his brother, the Prince of Wales.
That relationship remains broken with no clear sign of any reconciliation at all. There has been no official comment from the Prince and Princess of Wales.
That’s not surprising as the sibling relationship was severely damaged. William has never been able to forgive what he sees as Harry’s public airing of the family fallout through his memoir Spare and their interview with Oprah Winfrey.
To put it mildly, Prince William is unlikely to welcome Harry and Meghan’s move back to the UK and the distractions and sense of a rival team it will create.
That said, they are not expected to return to royal duties. They remain private citizens and non-working royals.
There is no interest from the Royal Household in creating a “half in, half out” arrangement for the duke and duchess.
Any work they do here will not be linked to official royal duty.
Meghan has been looking to expand her As Ever brand outside the US. Will we now have Meghan’s As Ever jam sitting alongside the King’s Duchy Organic products on supermarket shelves?