Harry and Meghan are "happy" in the US and don't want to move back to Britain, royal author Omid Scobie said on Tuesday.
The author of bombshell biography Finding Freedom - about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to step back from the royal family in early 2020 - spoke to the Standard as his latest royal book, Endgame, was released.
Endgame is billed as a look “inside the royal family’s fight for survival” following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022 and the challenges that King Charles faces as leader of the modern British monarchy.
His reportedly tense relationship with youngest son Prince Harry and how the family move past a series of bombshell accusations made by the Duke in recent years is also covered in the book.
In an interview with the Standard, Scobie discussed whether Harry and Meghan would ever return to the UK following months of speculation that the Duke was “homesick” and wanted to spend more time in his home country.
Royal journalist Scobie, 42, said he believed the couple were happy living in America and had created “a life of their own” in California.
He said: “I think it's a case of he doesn't want to, clearly. They seem to be quite happy. I think it's clear that they've moved to the US and started a life of their own here that seems to be going well for them.
"And they seem to be happy. And all of the things, all of the problems that they left behind in the UK, seem to have stayed in the UK. So for that reason, I can't see a world in which they're spending more time in Britain, or moving to the UK.”
He continued: “So I think that certainly for the foreseeable future, I see them firmly focused on their life in the US but family is also incredibly complicated. I think we can talk about ‘So and so will never speak again’. But then family is also weird, William and Harry could be best friends tomorrow.”
Harry and Meghan stunned the world when they announced in January 2020 they planned to “step back as senior royals” in order to take a “progressive new role” within the monarchy.
An emergency summit attended by all senior royals then took place at Sandringham - with “Megxit” then confirmed, although subject to a 12-month review.
The couple conducted their last official engagement in March 2020, before officially moving to first Canada and then America.
Since then, the couple and their two children Archie, four, and Lilibet, two - have mainly lived in Montecito, California.
Over the past three years, the couple have seen their fair share of controversy - from appearing in a bombshell tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, the release of their a Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan about their decision to leave the UK, and the release of Harry’s memoir Spare.
In extracts from Endgame, Scobie claims Meghan and Harry now wish to move forward from a turbulent few years, while detailing what projects the couple plan to focus on from 2024.
Scobie says that Harry in particular is keen to move away from making “royal revelations” and instead focus on helping others rather than reliving the past.
Scobie writes: “Harry will focus on production efforts, following the positive feedback received for Heart of Invictus, a documentary based on his long-running and successful Invictus Games sporting competition for wounded, injured, and sick veterans and servicepeople.
"The Sussexes' production company is working on two scripted projects for Netflix that Harry and Meghan acquired the rights to in 2023, including an adaptation of novelist Carley Fortune's Meet Me at the Lake. And he will continue his own charitable endeavors, particularly in the military space.”
A source quoted in the book by Scobie says: "[That] is where he comes alive. There is so much he plans to do for the community over the years ahead."
Meanwhile, Scobie suggests Meghan is also working on her own projects - and is keen to stay out of the limelight and avoid royal drama moving forward.
“[In recent months] The duchess noticeably distanced herself from the dramas and labels associated with the royal family,” he writes.
“By February 2023, Archie's fourth birthday was cited as the primary reason she would not be attending the coronation of King Charles, but sources later told me that her strong feelings about not getting hauled back into royal dramas also played a ‘significant role.’ During that low-profile year, she appeared in public for only a handful of key moments, such as receiving a Women of Vision Award for her advocacy for women and girls. Meghan kept her head down focus on building her own business.”
On exactly what that will be, Scobie adds: “Though there were rumorus that she might follow in the footsteps of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop or revive her lifestyle blog The Tig (both tempting options), a source said Meghan is building ‘something more accessible something rooted in her love of details, curating, hosting, life's simple pleasures, and family.’”
Meanwhile, Scobie also denied claims that the couple had been having marital problems, following speculation they could split.
In Endgame, Scobie says his source claims the couple are "Closer than ever. They're genuinely happy."
