It’s been exactly one year since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they were stepping back as “senior members” of the British royal family and relocating to North America. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented Harry, 36, Meghan, 39, and baby Archie from returning to England, a source close to Meghan tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that they aren’t having second thoughts about moving to Los Angeles. “Meghan and Harry have not abandoned their plan to spend time in the U.K. it’s just that world events have made staying in one place the best choice for now.”
“But once the pandemic is well handled, they will definitely be going back to spend some quality time there,” the source tells HollywoodLife. “That being said, they are very happy that they made the move to Santa Barbara. As tough as the year has been, they have not wavered on their decision.” Harry and Meghan’s decision to step away from royal life (and the associated duties) has allowed them greater agency and a chance to forge a path more in-line with their humanitarian ambitions.
“Now that they’re free to make their own decisions, they’ve been able to accomplish so much, and they have a lot more in the works,” the source tells HollywoodLife. “Their goal is to be a force for good in this world, and they are making very strategic choices to accomplish that, and being private citizens does make it easier. They have no one to answer to but themselves, so it’s just much easier to get things done.
“Meghan is also elated to be able to have so much time with her mom,” adds the insider. Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, lives out in Los Angeles, and the move has given the former actress a chance to make up for lost time. “[Meghan] is extremely close to her [mother], but for all the years she was filming Suits [in Toronto], she didn’t see her nearly as much as she would have liked because of her work schedule and the distance. And then being in the U.K., she saw her even less so just having all this time with her has been very meaningful and so good for her soul. And having her mom’s help with Archie, watching her bond with him, it’s priceless and definitely a huge plus to living in California.”
Since announcing on Jan. 08, 2020, Meghan and Harry have been quite busy. They signed a massive multimillion-dollar production deal with Netflix, teamed with Spotify to launch a string of podcasts (including the Archewell Audio Holiday Special, which gave fans a chance to hear Archie speak), and partnered with Spanish chef/humanitarian Jose Andrews’ World Central Kitchen foundation to help build community relief centers in regions hit hard by natural disasters.
