The Duchess of Sussex may be focusing on her new ventures, however, Prince Harry has some unfinished business to attend to in the UK. 

The Duke is due to give evidence in the High Court in his case against News Group Newspapers, which is due to begin later this month. 

In April, Harry’s appeal against the Home Office’s decision to downgrade his security arrangements while he is in the UK is also due to be heard. 

Sources close to Harry maintain that he cannot visit the country accompanied by his family unless their safety is assured. “Safe visits would enable his children to know his home country and enable him to better support his charities,” a friend of the Prince told HELLO!. 

The dispute has also contributed to the already strained relationship between the Duke and his family. 

Friends of Prince Harry have said that his calls to the monarch regarding the security issue “go Unanswered”. But sources close to the King say it would be “wholly inappropriate” for him to intervene. 

Sadly, Harry’s once-close relationship with his brother the Prince of Wales appears to be fractured almost beyond repair. The Duke and Duchess do still have a foothold in Europe, having invested in property in Portugal, where Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie lives for part of the year with her husband Jack Brooksbank and their young sons August and Ernest. 

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But Harry made clear his love for his Californian lifestyle in December, when he told the New York Times’s DealBook Summit: “I very much enjoy living here and bringing my kids up here,” adding that he views it as “the life my mum wanted for me”. 

There are walks on the beach, family bike rides, father-and-son surf lessons for the Duke and Archie, and cosy dinners for Harry and Meghan with close friends. 

© Archewell

One insider says that the couple cherish their “supportive and close-knit” community in the celebrity hotspot of Montecito, describing these outings as examples of “the joy, positivity and fulfilment that define this meaningful chapter in their lives”. 

“They are active members of an exclusive social circle in Montecito,” a local source tells us. “They support their friends’ causes and make it a point to show up.” 

Their new life is a world away from the drama and acrimony that surrounded the announcement of their departure from royal life in January 2020.