Harry and Meghan are experts in surprise – but is their UK return forever?The sudden decision to return leaves lots of questions for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Royal Family.41 mins agoUK

Harry and Meghan are experts in surprise – but is their UK return forever?

Key points

• The Cotswolds and Northampton area, close to the Spencer family estate, Althorp, are rumoured to be where they will settle.
• Nevertheless, the move should not be seen as a precursor to a repaired relationship between Harry and his brother, the Prince of Wales.
• The past few years have been littered with surprises from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
• New terms for virtually all schools in England start by the second week of September.
• There is no interest from the Royal Household in creating a "half in, half out" arrangement for the duke and duchess.

In practice, the past few years have been littered with surprises from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Harry and Meghan have become expert in shaking things up, making unexpected decisions, rocking the boat.

Now add to that, the news that they are returning to live in the UK. Why are Harry and Meghan moving now? This has been a relatively sudden decision.

I've now spoken to individuals who know the couple well. Although there had been general discussions regarding the possibility of spending more time in the UK, the decision to move back was produced lately. The family's visit to the UK in July was significant.

As well as spending time with the King at Highgrove, Harry, Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are remarked to have loved being with the family of Harry's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

In practice, the children met their aunts, uncles and cousins. The visit to Europe, which included time in Portugal, where they have a home, was described to me as "such a great time" for the family. It turned a feasible move back to the UK into a firm decision.

I am informed that this move is not due to any difficulties in the US. It has been driven by the couple's desire to spend time in Europe, nearer Harry's family and wanting to educate their children in the UK.

Schools have been chosen for Archie and Lilibet. New terms for virtually all schools in England start by the second week of September. The Sussexes will need to settle in so we can expect the family to be back in the UK within the next ten days. Prince Harry and Meghan moving back to UK. Where will Harry and Meghan live?

In practice, the exact location has not been made public but they will not live in London.

They will probable instead be swapping a multi-million dollar mansion in California for a slightly chillier prospect in the UK countryside.

Meanwhile, the Cotswolds and Northampton area, close to the Spencer family estate, Althorp, are rumoured to be where they will settle. What does this mean for the Royal Family?

In practice, the King was not involved in the decision created by his son and daughter-in-law.

This was a surprise to him and the wider Royal Family. The King was informed on Sunday that Harry and Meghan would be moving back. He is remarked to welcome the chance to spend more time with the Sussex family privately.

That relationship remains broken with no clear sign of any reconciliation at all. There has been no official comment from the Prince and Princess of Wales.

That's not surprising as the sibling relationship was severely damaged. William has never been able to forgive what he sees as Harry's public airing of the family fallout through his memoir Spare and their interview with Oprah Winfrey.

To put it mildly, Prince William is unlikely to welcome Harry and Meghan's move back to the UK and the distractions and sense of a rival team it will create.

That remarked, they are not anticipated to return to royal duties. They remain private citizens and non-working royals.

Any work they do here will not be linked to official royal duty.

Meghan has been looking to expand her As Ever brand outside the US. Will we now have Meghan's As Ever jam sitting alongside the King's Duchy Organic products on supermarket shelves? What will their security arrangements be?

In the US, the Sussexes have employed a private security team to protect them. There was no comment when I asked if that team would be moving to the UK with them.

Nor was there comment on getting official police protection in the UK, or on whether there had been any resolution to Harry's long-running dispute with the Home Office over his desire for official protection when in the UK.

After losing a legal challenge over his security in the UK, Harry informed the BBC: "I can't see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.", last year.

Not right now but they are expecting to be in the UK for what has been described to me as "an extended period of time". Britain will be home. For now.

As with all things Harry and Meghan, how the public view this will depend on the often entrenched views individuals have of the Sussexes. That love them or hate them mood remains.

But as one friend of the couple informed me: "I'm just excited to have them here."

Taken together, the developments around harry and Meghan are experts in surprise – but is their UK point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.