Prince Harry closed the door on a return to royal life when he declared the United States his primary home, a royal expert has suggested.

In recent weeks, reports surfaced saying that the Duke of Sussex -- who stepped back as a working royal and moved to Montecito, California, in 2020 -- would be willing to resume royal duties and help the royal family as his father, King Charles III, undergoes cancer treatment.

"Scandals of the Royal Palaces" author Tom Quinn, however, suggested that a return would be unlikely, telling the Mirror that Prince Harry has seemingly bid a "final goodbye" to royal life and the U.K. with his decision to list the U.S. as his country of residence.

"Even if Harry begged to be allowed back to help out -- even if his father King Charles became so ill he was unable to carry out his duties -- whatever happens, the call to help will never go out to Montecito. Making the U.S. his primary residence is Harry's final goodbye," Quinn said.


Prince Harry and King Charles
Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walk behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, adorned with a Royal Standard and the Imperial State Crown and pulled by a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, during a procession from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, in London on September 14, 2022. LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images

The update to Prince Harry's primary residence emerged last week via a filing from his environmental tourism initiative Travalyst.

The documents revealed that Prince Harry changed his country of residence to the U.S. on June 29, 2023 -- which was around the same time he and his wife, Meghan Markle, officially vacated their U.K. residence, Frogmore Cottage.

Months earlier, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement to People that the couple was asked to leave their Windsor residence.

"We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage," the spokesperson said.

According to Quinn, being evicted from their U.K. residence had been the "last straw" for Prince Harry.

"At the time, few people realized what a slap in the face the eviction from Frogmore felt like for Harry -- it was the last straw," the royal author told the Mirror.


Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex
Harry, Duke of Sussex and patron of the Invictus Games (L), and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend the closing ceremony of the 2023 Invictus Games in Duesseldorf, western Germany on September 16, 2023. Getty Images/Leon Kuegeler

Frogmore Cottage was gifted by Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Harry and Markle after their wedding.

The couple spent a reported $3 million renovating the home but ended up living in it for just one year before they announced their decision to step back from royal duties in early 2020.

The Sussexes later repaid the taxpayer-funded renovation costs.

After moving to California, Prince Harry and Markle purchased a nine-bedroom mansion in Santa Barbara for a reported $14 million in the summer of 2020 and have lived there since with their son Prince Archie and daughter Princess Lilibet.

However, they continued to stay in Frogmore Cottage during visits to the U.K., including Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee festivities in June 2022.

But Prince Harry won't have an official U.K. home to stay in when he returns to London next month for the celebrations of his Invictus Games' 10th anniversary.

It is unclear where Prince Harry will reside in London during the upcoming trip, but the Daily Mail reported that he stayed at a luxury hotel when he visited King Charles in February.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry recently gushed over his life in the U.S. with his family during a "Good Morning America" interview.

"It's amazing," the royal told Will Reeve. "I love every single day."

The Duke of Sussex also shared that while he had "considered" becoming a U.S. citizen, it wasn't a "high priority" for him.


Tags
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle