Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Face Blunt Cotswolds Verdict as Local Reacts to Their Reported UK Return

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be considering a new chapter in Britain, but their reported return is already drawing a decidedly mixed reaction from people in the area where they could soon be spending considerably more time.

During a GB News report from Cirencester, one local market stall holder delivered a particularly blunt assessment of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s possible return, saying simply: “I don’t think they should come back to the UK.”

Yet his reaction was more complicated than outright opposition. While questioning whether Harry and Meghan should return after everything that has happened since their royal departure, he said he would be pleased if the move ultimately helped Harry rebuild his relationship with King Charles.

“I don’t think they should come back”

Harry and Meghan are reportedly preparing to return to Britain later this year, six years after stepping back as senior working members of the Royal Family and establishing their life in California.

Reports have suggested that the Sussexes could base themselves near the Cotswolds, potentially putting them much closer to King Charles’s Highgrove residence in Gloucestershire. Archie and Lilibet are also expected to attend school in Britain.

With speculation surrounding the move intensifying, GB News national reporter Jack Carson visited Cirencester to hear directly from people in the area.

One stall holder did not hesitate when asked for his opinion.

“I don’t think they should come back to the UK,” he said.

The man pointed to Harry and Meghan’s previous decision to distance themselves from royal life and suggested their subsequent actions had made remaining in the United States the better option.

However, he was careful to stress that his position was not based on a personal dislike of Meghan.

“I think Meghan, none of that got anything against her personally. But she didn’t want anything to do with the royal family,” he said.

In his view, what the Sussexes have said and done since leaving royal duties has complicated the prospect of simply returning to Britain and beginning again.

A very different reaction to Harry and Charles

While the stall holder remained unconvinced about Harry and Meghan returning as a couple, his tone changed significantly when the conversation turned to King Charles.

Asked whether living closer to his father could provide Harry with an opportunity to repair their relationship, he described that possibility as “very good.”

His response came from personal experience.

The man explained that he had previously gone through a difficult period with one of his own sons, during which they became distant. Their relationship eventually improved, and the two are now speaking and getting along again.

That experience appeared to shape his hopes for Harry and Charles.

“It would be very nice if they could get back together again. Yes, that would be really, really good,” he said.

He later reiterated the distinction between his feelings about the Sussexes’ return and his hopes for the father and son.

“It’d be nice if they could reconcile with their father,” he added.

The comments highlight one of the central questions surrounding Harry’s potential return: whether being physically closer to Charles could create opportunities for private reconciliation after years of strain.

The Cotswolds itself gets a glowing review

Despite his reservations about Harry and Meghan, the stall holder had nothing but praise for the area they could potentially call home.

When Carson asked what the couple could expect if they settled in or around the Cotswolds, he described the region as welcoming and highly desirable.

“It’s a wonderful place to live, isn’t it?” he said.

Although he does not live there himself and travels in from the forest, he explained that he has been visiting the area for many years and spoke warmly about both its landscape and local community.

“It is a lovely area to live,” he added.

The Cotswolds has long attracted wealthy and high-profile residents. David and Victoria Beckham have a country home in the region, while Jeremy Clarkson has become closely associated with the area through his farm near Chipping Norton. Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have also been linked with Cotswolds properties.

That combination of privacy, countryside and proximity to London has helped make the region particularly attractive to prominent figures.

For Harry and Meghan, however, another location could carry even greater significance: Highgrove.

A return that could put Harry closer to his father

Highgrove House, King Charles’s private country residence, is located in Gloucestershire, potentially placing Harry and his family within relatively easy reach of the monarch if reports about their plans prove accurate.

That proximity would mark a significant change from the past several years, when thousands of miles separated the Sussexes’ California home from Harry’s family in Britain.

It would not automatically resolve the tensions that have developed since Harry and Meghan stepped away from royal duties. But it could make private family contact considerably easier.

And that distinction was reflected clearly in the reaction from Cirencester.

The local interviewed by GB News was not persuaded that the Sussexes themselves should return to Britain. His message on that point could hardly have been clearer.

Yet when the same move was framed as a possible opportunity for a father and son to reconnect, his answer became strikingly more sympathetic.

For Harry and Meghan, it offered a small but revealing glimpse of the reception they may encounter if they return: skepticism over their decision to come back, warmth toward the possibility of family reconciliation, and a community that may welcome them geographically even if some residents remain far less certain about everything that comes with their arrival.