Harry and Meghan could face an 18-month wait for a permanent UK home after a friend revealed their secret living arrangements.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s plans for their new life in Britain have been shrouded in uncertainty since their dramatic decision to spend more time in the UK.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to have chosen schools for their two children, Archie and Lilibet, as they prepare for a major change in their family life.
But while the couple’s plans for their children’s education appear to be taking shape, a source close to Harry has now lifted the lid on where the family could be living in the meantime.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Alison Boshoff said a friend of Prince Harry’s has claimed the Sussexes are currently staying on the estate of another friend.
However, the temporary arrangement could last considerably longer than expected, with the friend warning that it may be up to 18 months before Harry and Meghan move into a permanent home.
“They are staying in a property on the estate of a friend,” the source told Boshoff.
“But the truth is Harry feels they are highly unlikely to find somewhere that is just ready to move into.”
He added: “He thinks it may be 12 to 18 months before they’re into a new place, and that’s if you are thinking about completing at the end of this year or early next year. So it could be even further away than that.”
The source said Harry and Meghan’s reported budget of more than £8million means they are likely to be looking at historic properties, potentially making any move more complicated.
“It’s likely that if you have the £8million-plus budget, which they do, that a house will be historic, which makes renovations more complicated because there are heritage issues.”
He continued: “The kind of property they are looking for with the amount of land doesn’t come up every week, so they know it might be a long search for the right place.”
The couple’s children are also understood to have been enrolled in local schools.
According to Boshoff, Harry’s friends say he wanted Archie, seven, to attend a traditional British prep school similar to Ludgrove in Berkshire, where Harry spent some of his own childhood.
Lilibet, five, is expected to attend the pre-prep section at the same school.
The arrangement would reportedly allow Harry to take on more of a full-time parenting role, while Meghan travels between Britain and the family’s home in Montecito to continue her business and media ambitions.
Harry is expected to be seen supporting Archie from the sidelines as he takes up rugby, while Meghan has reportedly been adjusting to the prospect of school commitments including Saturdays.
The Sussexes’ return comes six years after they stepped down as working royals and moved to the US. They have since remained non-working royals.
Their plans to spend more time in Britain have raised fresh questions over security, with Harry previously arguing that it was unsafe for his wife and children to visit the UK under his current arrangements.
The Duke recently wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood asking her to personally consider whether his family could receive close police protection.
Harry lost a legal challenge against the Home Office last year after his security arrangements were changed following his decision to step back from royal duties.
He has previously argued that he faces a greater threat than his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, citing “additional layers of racism and extremism”.
The Sussexes have yet to publicly set out the full details of their plans for their new life in Britain.