Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Are Not Moving Back to the UK

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have no intention of moving back to the U.K. despite a recent meeting between Harry’s aides and a member of King Charles’ team.

Speculation of a possible move came following the July 9 sit-down between Meredith Maines, the Duke of Sussex’s chief of staff and communications director, and Liam Maguire, the couple’s U.K. spokesperson, with the King’s communications secretary, Tobyn Andreae. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex aren’t planning to leave California, where they relocated in 2020 after stepping back as working members of the British royal family.

A source tells PEOPLE that the couple is very happy living in and raising their family in California and, as it stands, have no plans to leave. The Duke of Sussex, 40, will continue to visit the U.K. in support of his charitable causes and patronages.

The meeting was viewed as an olive branch and a possible reopening of lines of communication between the father and son, who have been estranged for years.

“It was a good first step,” an insider told PEOPLE exclusively. “It is always better to be talking.”

Meghan, 43, moved to the U.K. with Prince Harry before their 2018 wedding, and they lived in Kensington Palace’s Nottingham Cottage in London before relocating to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor ahead of their son Prince Archie’s birth in 2019. After moving to the U.S. in 2020, they were asked to vacate Frogmore. They welcomed their daughter, Princess Lilibet, in California in June 2021.

Prince Harry and Meghan have expressed their happiness at raising their children in Meghan’s home state.

During the couple’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry said, “To have outdoor space where I can go for walks with Archie, and we go for walks as a family and with the dogs. You know, we go on hikes or go down to the beach, which is so close.”

They settled in the Montecito neighborhood, where Meghan said they’ve gotten to know the locals from school drop-offs and playdates with Archie and Lili.

“We hosted a little camp because winter break was long!” she told PEOPLE during an exclusive interview earlier this year. “We had several days with different families at our home, and we were able to get to know the parents better, and all the kids could play.” Meghan and Harry set up obstacle courses and face painting. “It’s a dream,” she added. “But I also know that being part of a community means you put effort into it.” 

“Once you know us, I think you want us to have the same normalcy as parents and for our children as they do, despite however unique our situation is,” she said, adding that their nights out include “a lot of dinners, and not just in people’s homes or private rooms; we just go into the restaurant. I really love that we can just have fun.”

Meghan’s friend and makeup artist Daniel Martin told PEOPLE in 2023 that Prince Harry “has definitely found his vibe and is very settled in California. But he does miss home.”

However, the Duke of Sussex has been open about his fear of returning to the U.K. after being stripped of his state-funded security. Harry said in a legal case to reinstate the protection that he “does not feel safe” bringing his family to his home country, but he recently lost the court appeal.

Speaking with the BBC on May 2 after the court decision, Prince Harry said, “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point.”

“I miss the U.K., I miss parts of the U.K., of course I do,” he added. “I think that it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

In an interview that aired on Good Morning America, the Duke of Sussex revealed that he’s “considered” becoming a U.S. citizen. When Will Reeve asked how he was enjoying life in the U.S., Harry replied, “It’s amazing. I love every single day.”

When asked if he felt American, Harry laughed and said, “Do I feel American? Um, no. I don’t know how I feel.”

The Duke of Sussex added that he had “considered” becoming a U.S. citizen, but it wasn’t a “high priority.”