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.3 hrs agoUK

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

Harry and Meghan have become experts 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.

I’ve now spoken to people who know the couple well. Although there had been general discussions about the possibility of spending more time in the UK, the decision to move back was made recently.

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 said to have loved being with the family of Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

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 possible move back to the UK into a firm decision.

I am told that this move is not due to any problems 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 10 days.

The exact location has not been revealed, but they will not live in London.

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

The Cotswolds and Northampton area, close to the Spencer family estate, Althorp, are rumoured to be where they will settle.

The King was not involved in the decision made by his son and daughter-in-law.

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

However, the move should not be seen as a precursor to a repaired relationship between Harry and his brother, the Prince of Wales.

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 said, they are not expected to return to royal duties. They remain private citizens and non-working royals.

There is no interest from the Royal Household in creating a “half in, half out” arrangement for the duke and duchess.

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?

That is really unclear.

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.

Last year, after losing a legal challenge over his security in the UK, Harry told the BBC: “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”

Not at the moment 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 views this will depend on the often entrenched views people have of the Sussexes. That love them or hate them mood remains.

But as one friend of the couple told me: “I’m just excited to have them here.”