Harry and Meghan’s American Dream Loses Its Shine as Sussex Family Prepares for UK Return

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived in California in 2020 with global fame, royal titles and multimillion-dollar entertainment deals behind them. Six years later, their reported decision to return to Britain for an extended period marks a striking new chapter after a turbulent run of Hollywood ventures produced decidedly mixed results.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to be preparing to return before the end of August, with Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, reportedly enrolled at a British school.

The family is expected to establish itself in a private, non-royal residence and will not resume duties as working members of the Royal Family. They are also expected to retain their Montecito estate and their residence in Portugal.

The move therefore does not represent a complete break with America. But it comes after several of the ambitious projects that once appeared capable of turning Harry and Meghan into major entertainment players either ended, struggled commercially or failed to materialise.

California began with enormous expectations

When Harry and Meghan stepped away from royal duties and eventually settled in California in 2020, the possibilities appeared enormous.

They moved into a reported $15 million mansion in Montecito, joining a wealthy enclave populated by celebrities and business figures, while quickly signing lucrative agreements with some of the biggest names in entertainment.

Their Netflix deal was widely reported to be worth $100 million, while an agreement with Spotify was valued at a reported $20 million.

Through Archewell Productions, Harry and Meghan planned documentaries, films, television programming and children’s content. Meghan would later expand her ambitions into podcasting and lifestyle products.

America appeared to offer exactly what they had sought after leaving royal life: financial independence, greater control over their public platform and the freedom to pursue commercial projects without Palace restrictions.

Initially, the strategy generated extraordinary attention.

Royal revelations became their biggest successes

Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 became a major global television event, although it was separate from their streaming agreements.

Their six-part Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan followed in 2022 and became a ratings success, drawing enormous attention with its personal account of the couple’s experiences within the monarchy.

Harry then published Spare in January 2023.

The memoir detailed his relationships with King Charles and Prince William, his childhood within the Royal Family and the tensions surrounding his departure from royal life. It went on to sell more than six million copies worldwide.

Those projects demonstrated the enormous appetite for Harry and Meghan when their personal royal story was at the centre of the material.

Later ventures, however, often struggled to generate comparable interest.

Netflix projects delivered mixed results

Several projects released under the Sussexes’ Netflix relationship failed to match the impact of Harry & Meghan.

Live to Lead attracted relatively little cultural attention, while Heart of Invictus, which followed competitors preparing for Harry’s Invictus Games, did not generate anything approaching the response to the couple’s personal documentary.

Polo, a five-part series focusing on the sport closely associated with Harry, also struggled. It failed to enter Netflix’s global top ten and received a 25 per cent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Other projects never reached audiences at all.

Pearl, an animated children’s series being developed by Archewell, was cancelled by Netflix in 2022.

An adaptation of Carley Fortune’s bestselling novel Meet Me at the Lake was also announced but did not materialise during the couple’s original Netflix agreement.

That original agreement has now ended.

Meghan’s lifestyle programme With Love, Meghan lasted two seasons but was not renewed for a third.

The Spotify partnership ended early

Podcasting was another major pillar of the Sussexes’ original American strategy.

Harry and Meghan signed their reported $20 million Spotify agreement in late 2020 amid considerable anticipation over what the couple would produce.

Meghan eventually launched Archetypes in 2022. The series ran for 12 full episodes, following an earlier Christmas special released under the Archewell Audio banner.

By June 2023, however, Spotify and Archewell Audio announced that they had “mutually agreed to part ways”.

The split was followed by a particularly harsh attack from Spotify executive Bill Simmons, who publicly branded the couple “f***ing grifters” and mocked his experience attempting to develop a podcast idea with Harry.

Meghan later returned to podcasting through Lemonada Media with Confessions of a Female Founder, but the extraordinary excitement that had surrounded the Sussexes’ first move into audio had diminished.

Meghan’s lifestyle ambitions changed direction

Meghan also attempted to establish a commercial identity beyond television and podcasting.

In March 2024, she unveiled American Riviera Orchard through an Instagram video featuring scenes of cooking and flower arranging.

The name referenced the Santa Barbara region around Montecito, sometimes known as the American Riviera.

Early promotion included numbered jars of strawberry jam sent to celebrity friends, but the anticipated full-scale launch took time to arrive.

Then, in February 2025, American Riviera Orchard was replaced by As Ever.

Meghan explained that the original name had restricted the range of products she could offer and said she had secured the As Ever name in 2022.

The revamped business subsequently introduced products including preserves, teas and flower sprinkles, with some releases selling out.

However, it has yet to establish Meghan as the kind of dominant lifestyle entrepreneur some supporters had initially envisioned.

Other initiatives faded from view

Several smaller ventures also failed to develop into enduring projects.

Meghan launched her 40×40 initiative on her 40th birthday in 2021, recruiting 40 people to spend 40 minutes mentoring women returning to the workplace.

She predicted the project could produce a global “ripple effect”, but it subsequently disappeared from public attention.

Her children’s book The Bench, inspired by Harry’s relationship with Archie, reached the top of the New York Times children’s picture-book bestseller list in the United States. It also received harsh reviews from some British critics and did not lead to a broader children’s publishing venture.

Throughout this period, the Sussexes also experienced repeated changes among staff, including senior communications personnel.

‘Cookie Queens’ suffers difficult opening

One of the most recent setbacks came with Cookie Queens, the first feature documentary jointly produced by Harry and Meghan through Archewell Productions.

The film follows four Girl Scouts competing in the world of cookie sales, with Meghan helping promote the project by discussing her own childhood experiences as a Girl Scout.

Its theatrical opening, however, proved disappointing.

According to reported Box Office Mojo figures, Cookie Queens earned approximately $354,000 from 446 theatres during its opening weekend.

By comparison, CatVideoFest 2026, a 70-minute compilation of internet cat videos, reportedly earned around $569,000 from only 255 screens.

Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield argued that the result highlighted a growing distinction between the Sussexes’ ability to attract publicity and their ability to convert that attention into paying audiences.

Harry and Meghan, she said, remain highly effective at generating headlines, but that does not necessarily translate into commercial success.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams similarly identified the Oprah interview, Harry & Meghan and Spare as their standout successes, while arguing that subsequent projects such as Heart of Invictus, Polo and With Love, Meghan had attracted less audience interest.

Meghan’s position in Hollywood faces scrutiny

The Duchess’s standing within America’s celebrity world has also become the subject of increasing speculation.

Her absence from this year’s Met Gala attracted attention, as have reports surrounding her relationships with prominent figures including Lauren Sánchez Bezos, the Kardashians and Vogue’s Anna Wintour.

There have also been reports that Meghan sought invitations to events during Paris Fashion Week.

Fitzwilliams previously claimed that she had developed a “disastrous habit of falling out with Hollywood’s top power brokers”.

Despite such criticism, Meghan remains internationally famous, continues to operate As Ever and is still involved with Archewell Productions.

The Sussexes’ ability to generate global media coverage also remains considerable.

Harry’s reunion with Charles changes the picture

The reported move back to Britain comes shortly after an important development in Harry’s relationship with his father.

Last month, Harry reunited privately with King Charles in a meeting that also included Meghan, Archie and Lilibet.

Sources subsequently described Harry as “buoyed”, “very happy” and “really energized” by the encounter, adding that he wanted to spend more time in Britain with his family.

He may now have that opportunity.

Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are expected to return before the end of August for what has been described as an “extended period”.

Their children are believed to have already been enrolled at a British school, raising the possibility that the family could remain in the UK while Archie and Lilibet continue their education.

King Charles was reportedly informed of the plan only on Sunday.

The monarch is understood to welcome the opportunity to spend more private time with his younger son and grandchildren.

No return to working royal life

Despite the move, Harry and Meghan are not planning to rejoin the Royal Family as working members.

Buckingham Palace’s position on their status is understood to remain unchanged, with “no alteration” expected to the arrangements established following their departure in 2020.

Sources have similarly insisted that the couple are not attempting to return to the royal fold.

Their Montecito mansion will reportedly be retained, allowing Harry and Meghan to maintain a base in California and continue pursuing professional opportunities in America.

They also have their Portuguese residence.

The move is therefore better understood as a major shift in where the family intends to spend its time rather than a complete abandonment of the life Harry and Meghan created after leaving Britain.

A remarkable full-circle moment

When the Sussexes arrived in California six years ago, they possessed almost every advantage imaginable for launching a new media empire.

Their names commanded worldwide attention. Streaming companies offered enormous contracts. Audiences were intensely interested in their lives after leaving the monarchy.

Some ventures delivered spectacular results, particularly when Harry and Meghan’s own royal experiences were the focus.

But the projects that followed produced a far more uneven record. Spotify ended, their original Netflix agreement concluded, several announced productions disappeared, and others struggled to attract audiences despite intense publicity.

Their American chapter is not necessarily over. Meghan continues to operate As Ever, Archewell remains active and the couple reportedly intend to keep their California home.

Yet their decision to bring Archie and Lilibet to Britain for an extended period marks an unmistakable change.

Six years after leaving royal life convinced that their future lay thousands of miles away in California, Harry and Meghan are now preparing to build another chapter much closer to the family and country they once left behind.