Harry and Meghan's new life in UK will see them face an 'apoplectic' William and low popularity among British public

Prince William will be feeling 'apoplectic' after his estranged brother Prince Harry announced his return to Britain with wife Meghan Markle, royal insiders said today.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to move back to the UK later this month in a shock development more than six years after they relocated to the US.

Harry and Meghan will make their home in a non-royal residence outside of London and have already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools.

But the move will likely have stunned the Prince and Princess of Wales, who were last seen together publicly with the Sussexes after Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022.

William is estranged from Harry who has levelled a barrage of accusations against him, Kate, King Charles and Queen Camilla in the years since Megxit in 2020.

Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said: 'In the long term, the return of the Sussexes to the UK opens up the prospect of two rival courts, William's and Harry's.

'In the short term, Harry will be able to deepen his rapprochement with his father.

'His presence back home will make it harder for his brother to duck a reconciliation. The surprise return of Harry and Meghan is likely to have left William apoplectic.'

Relations between William and Harry have long been strained despite their closeness in their younger years.

The Princess of Wales, the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex walk to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022

Harry and Meghan were once dubbed part of the 'Fab Four' with the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They are pictured at the first Royal Foundation Forum event in London in 2018

Harry and former Suits star Meghan, who married at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in May 2018, were once dubbed part of the 'Fab Four' with the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

But in March 2019, Buckingham Palace announced Harry and Meghan would set up their own household, breaking from the joint operation they had with William and Kate, amid reports of rifts between the two couples.

The fallout is said to have begun before Harry's wedding to Meghan, with the duke accusing William of being snobbish to his bride.

But it worsened after the accusations Harry publicly levelled at his brother in double tell-alls: his memoir, Spare, and his Netflix documentary.

In his autobiography, released just months after Queen Elizabeth II died, Harry accused William of physically attacking him and pushing him into a dog bowl in a row over Meghan.

He also alleged it was William and Kate who encouraged him to wear a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party in 2005 and 'howled' with laughter when they saw it.

Harry and Meghan, in their Netflix series two months after the Queen's death, claimed Kensington Palace lied to protect William when it issued a statement denying a story he had bullied Harry out of the royal family.

Harry also wrote of how Charles pleaded with his two sons during a tense meeting at Windsor just after the funeral of Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, saying: 'Please, boys. Don't make my final years a misery'.

Following Harry and Meghan's return to the UK, it is understood there will be no change to their role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the royal family.

William, Harry, Meghan and Charles at a Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in 2019

Prince Harry with his best man William at Windsor Castle for his wedding to Meghan in 2018

The King, who is still living with cancer, was first made aware of the move on Sunday, only three days before it was made public, but is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family both in a private and personal capacity.

But their status will remain the same, with the couple not being offered a 'half-in-half-out' option when it comes to their roles.

Lucy Powell said today that she hopes Harry and Meghan's move back to Britain will be 'part of a bigger reconciliation' for the royal family.

The Education Secretary told LBC: 'I think that the vast majority of your listeners will welcome that news and – they obviously are not working royals anymore – and want to come back to this country.

'I assume because we do have great schools, great education, that's why many people do return to this country and choose this country to bring up their children in.

'And I hope that this is all part of a bigger reconciliation for the family because you know the royal family is very important to this country and to our reputation around the world, and you know I for one think it's great to have Harry and Meghan and their family back here.'

The move is also likely to spark debate as to how the British public will react to the U-turn, after the criticism the Sussexes have made about the royal family and the institution of the monarchy.

A YouGov poll found last month that only 22 per cent of Britons see Meghan in a positive light, compared with 65 per cent who hold an unfavourable opinion of the former actress, with 33 per cent seeing Harry positively and 58 per cent negatively.

William and Harry leave church at the Sandringham royal estate in Norfolk in December 2003

Princess Diana with Harry, William and Charles at William's first day at Eton in September 1995

The couple's children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are expected to start at their new schools next month.

The Sussexes will retain their homes in Montecito, California, and Portugal, while the duchess will continue to run her lifestyle brand As Ever from their new base.

In January 2020, the duke and duchess announced they intended to step back as 'senior' members of the royal family, become financially independent, still support Elizabeth II, but split their time between the UK and North America.

The late Queen ruled at the Sandringham Summit, which was convened to resolve the crisis, that the couple could not be half in and half out.

By March 2020, they had set up a permanent home in California, officially stepped down as senior royals and stopped using their HRH styles.

The shock announcement comes less than two months after the duke was trying to find a way to safely bring his wife and children to the UK to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham.

At the end of June, he was still waiting for a review by the Risk Management Board (RMB), part of the process by which the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) rules on his security requirements – and he and his security detail were working behind the scenes to try to ensure the visit could take place safely.

Meghan was able to travel to the UK in July with Archie and Lilibet to join Harry when he came to the end of a week-long series of events promoting the games.

During the visit, the duke and duchess took their children to see the King for the first time in four years at his Highgrove home, but are not thought to have raised the prospect of a return to the UK at that meeting.

The Invictus Games take place from July 10 to 27 next year, with Birmingham expected to welcome around 550 wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, and their families, from 25 nations.