Inside Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan's Plans to Work—Not Move—Abroad
It’s early days yet, but sources confirm to BAZAAR.com that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex indeed plan to take on new projects overseas to develop their senior roles within the Commonwealth. But while reports claim their work will tie in with a move abroad lasting up to three years, those close to Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan tell a different story. “Britain is their home and where they want to raise their family,” says a friend of the couple. “If they are to work abroad it would be a short stint.”
Rumors of a move began on April 21 after a British newspaper broke the news that senior courtiers-including international affairs advisor to Prince William and Prince Harry, Sir David Manning; and Lord Geidt, chairman of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust-are currently developing plans for the couple to take on a “bespoke” role overseas after the imminent birth of their first child.
The Times of London claimed the Sussexes might move to Africa “for two or three years,” with one of the continent’s 19 Commonwealth states to become a new home for the family. A governor-general role for Harry in Canada or Australia had reportedly already been rejected. The article described the move, a plan Prince William is also allegedly involved in, as a chance for Harry and Meghan to take a break from the rumored divide between the brothers while also “harnessing” the global appeal of the Sussexes.
Buckingham Palace did not confirm nor deny the report, telling BAZAAR that “no decisions have been taken about future roles.” But a senior aide referred to certain elements of the article (such as Meghan wanting to one day be President of the United States) as “silly speculation.”
Could Harry and Meghan really be planning to leave the U.K., and their new Frogmore Cottage home, for that long? While a source close to the pair tells BAZAAR.com that the Commonwealth-and projects across several of its states-“will absolutely” play a large role in the couple’s work over the next few years, leaving the U.K. for more than a year is not the plan.
“These discussions, which the couple are driving, are very much embryonic,” says the source, who is familiar with a number of their future endeavors. “Both the duke and duchess are keen to balance projects in Britain and overseas, particularly countries in Africa. There are many exciting possibilities … but moving away for years? That’s not an idea they are throwing around. We’re talking a few months away or a series of trips.”
“Moving away for years? That’s not an idea they are throwing around. We’re talking a few months away or a series of trips.”
The source continues, “Let’s not forget that they are already committed to a number of charitable projects and patronages domestically. As well as being their home, the U.K. is still somewhere they have responsibilities they wouldn’t neglect.”
The duke and duchess both hold significant roles within the Commonwealth, with Harry now in his second year as a Commonwealth youth ambassador and Meghan recently appointed Vice President of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (Harry is president). It’s only natural their future includes more travel across the Commonwealth’s 53 sovereign states.
Both Harry and Meghan already visited Africa for considerable periods of time over the past few years. Harry spent almost nine weeks of 2015 engaged in conservation projects in Southern Africa and the following year carried out two months of work on the continent. Meghan joined a clean water initiative in Rwanda in March 2016, and the couple also traveled together to numerous parts of Africa, including Botswana, in 2017. “They have no plans to change this pattern,” says an insider. “Africa will always play a lead role in their humanitarian work.”
Coincidentally, Prince Harry shared a look back at his many African travels on April 22, observing Earth Day with an Instagram post of nature photographs he had taken on previous visits.
But it’s not just the time abroad that made headlines. A separate exposé in The Times suggested tensions between the Sussexes and Cambridges are the real reason Prince William is putting his full support behind a move for the couple. As well as placing further distance between himself and Harry and Meghan, a transfer would stop their popularity posing a threat to his own. “Not the case,” says a Kensington Palace source. “Prince William has nothing to do with these plans. The Duke supports whatever the couple choose to do.”
"Harry and Meghan have always wanted to reach people on a global level and that is the only thing that’s motivating them."
Adds the Sussex friend, “Let’s be clear about one thing: Any decision the couple make about their future will be made by themselves for themselves. Harry and Meghan have always wanted to reach people on a global level and that is the only thing that’s motivating them. Aside from the Queen and Prince Charles, they’re not looking to other family members, or their teams, for guidance.”
With announcements about future projects abroad not due until mid-2020, the duke and duchess only have one thing on their minds at present-family. “Of course they’re making plans for the future, and they're very excited about the options, but right now they have just moved into a beautiful new home and are focused on family life,” says a close confidante of Meghan, who notes that the duchess's mother, Doria Ragland, has been a guest at Frogmore Cottage since Tuesday, April 16. “They’re not thinking about anything else right now-especially what the press are saying.”
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