Thousands of miles away from where they once lived in Frogmore cottage, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would seem, on the face of it, to have forgotten all about what life in the UK is like.
Now based in Montecito, California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex lead a different life compared to what they used to enjoy in Prince Harry’s native England after they fled in 2020 to escape royal life.
The Duchess, who last week released the second season of her lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, hasn’t visited the UK since the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022.
But during the eight-episode series, which features celebrity guests including US model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen and Queer Eye’s Tan France, Meghan surprised many when she revealed there are parts of UK life she misses.
Meghan has not returned to England in over three years, since she attended the Queen’s funeral. Meanwhile, Harry himself has only made the journey back a handful of times to attend funerals, including Prince Philip‘s, and to visit King Charles following his cancer diagnosis.
Meghan, an American native, had planned to apply for British citizenship but pressed pause on the plan after the couple decided to set sail for the States instead after stepping down from their role as working royals.
The Duchess only spent a short period living in the UK between the years of 2017 to 2020, including raising her first child, Prince Archie, six, for the first few months of his life at Frogmore Cottage.
Despite only spending a short stint in the UK, many fans of the show were struck by the strong English undertones of many of Meghan’s recipes – as well as her claim that she misses British radio.
The Duchess, who last week released the second season of her lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, hasn’t visited the UK since the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022. The couple pictured in Colombia in 2024
Now based in California-based Montecito, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a somewhat fraught relationship Prince Harry ‘s native England after they fled in 2020 to escape royal life
In an episode of the new show, which premiered on Tuesday, Meghan spoke tenderly of the UK, telling Doncaster-born Tan France that what she misses most about the UK is it’s radio.
‘One of the things I miss most about the UK is the radio stations,’ she said, specifically pointing out that Magic FM was her favourite of them.
When teased that it is a ‘grandma’ station, she insisted that her new favourite station to listen to in the car is called Mom Jeans and plays vintage soft rock.
Elsewhere, in episode six, she told Clare Smyth, the Northern Irish-born Michelin-starred chef who cooked at the couple’s wedding, that their children mix British and American pronunciations.
‘My kids, they’ll say a little bit of both, but never cooking terms because I guess Papa’s not cooking as much. They both say ‘Zebra’ though instead of ‘Zeebra’.’
In episode four of the new season of the show, the Duchess showed chef Samin Nosrat her signature roast chicken recipe, taking the moment to share the tale of how she first prepared the dish for Harry on the night they got engaged.
‘This is a by-heart recipe. It’s a classic and it’s nourishing, and I have done it so many times that now I can do it with my eyes closed,’ the Duchess of Sussex said about the roast chicken.
A classic Sunday roast choice that is loved by many across the British Isles, it is possible that Meghan, who admitted she now makes it at least once a week, first picked up the recipe from her time in the UK.
Meghan, an American native, had planned to apply for British citizenship but pressed pause on the plan after the couple decided to set sail for the States instead after stepping down from their role as working royals. Pictured at their wedding in 2018
Meghan was also seen celebrating Mother’s Day according to the English calendar. In March earlier this year, the Duchess shared a sweet tribute acknowledging the annual holiday
Several times during the show, Meghan is seeing getting up to brew herself a cup of tea, the hot beverage beloved by Brits.
She has been seen making nods to various English recipes, including with the release of her lifestyle brand, As Ever, in March, when she revealed a line of products including her famous preserves, a crepe mix and flower sprinkles among other things.
Another was a ‘cookie mix’ for shortbread, which is traditionally Scottish, perhaps a sign that she was missing the flavours of the UK.
Her brand newsletter read: ‘Crunchy and delicious shortbread cookies that remind me of my time in England, with tiny flower sprinkles to add extra beauty and charm to enjoy each delicate bite.’
Elsewhere in the newsletter, she made reference to another UK tradition that she and her family had embraced.
‘In the UK, they call it a ‘duvet day,’ and I’ve always found that sweet. Our little family, snuggled up for an easy family morning followed by pancakes and bacon. The dream,’ she said.
Meghan was also seen celebrating Mother’s Day according to the English calendar. In March earlier this year, the Duchess shared a sweet tribute acknowledging the annual holiday.
In a post uploaded to Instagram, she shared a picture of a lemon tart, insisting it is a ‘family tradition’ to mark the annual UK holiday with the delicacy.
In an episode of the new show, which premiered on Tuesday, Meghan spoke tenderly of the UK, telling Doncaster-born Tan France that what she misses most about the UK is it’s radio. Pictured
She has been seen making nods to various English recipes, including with the release of her lifestyle brand, As Ever, in March, when she revealed a line of products including her famous preserves, a crepe mix and flower sprinkles among other things (seen in 2019)
A smaller hand can be seen clinging onto the plate which holds the dessert, covered in halved slices of lemon and topped by a red rose.
The Duchess has also hinted at missing parts of the UK on her social media. Sharing a montage of pictures from their couples love story on Instagram, she posted images from special moments they shared while in Britain – suggesting the UK still holds a special place in her heart.
One of the earliest photos featured on the board showed the Duke and Duchess pose for a selfie taken in London in 2016, when they first started dating.
In the photograph, which is tabbed up as ‘2016’ in ‘London’, Meghan posed in a flannel shirt while Harry stood behind smiling.
Additionally, there were pictures from their wedding, which was held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in May 2018.
The then-newly minted Duke and Duchess of Sussex were joined by all the leading members of the Royal Family who gathered to celebrate their marriage.
The mother-of-two provided her three million Instagram followers with a sneak peak into her previous UK residence that she shared with Prince Harry – Frogmore Cottage.
Harry and Meghan haven’t lived in Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate since they moved to the US in 2020.
The Duchess, who last week released the second season of her lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, hasn’t visited the UK since the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022. Pictured at the funeral in London
The couple quit the country in 2020, and Meghan later talked about having struggled and having no one to help her in her new royal role. She added that she had her passport taken away after marrying Harry
In the image, Harry and Meghan stood kissing in the home’s kitchen on the Windsor estate.
Also pinned onto Meghan’s mood board was a photo of Harry and Meghan taken in Norfolk during what appears to be a visit to Holkham Bay – the Sandringham beach frequented by Prince William and Princess Catherine.
The couple quit the country in 2020, and Meghan later talked about having struggled and having no one to help her in her new royal role. She added that she had her passport taken away after marrying Harry.
She has not set foot in the UK since September 2022, when the couple were on a charity visit and the Queen died. Harry has since said that he believes that the country is unsafe for his wife and children, and also has let it be known that he is never returning to live in the UK from California.
Around the time of the Queen’s death, Prince Harry flew solo to Balmoral, in a last-minute dash to try to see his grandmother before she died – but Meghan remained in Windsor after Charles asked Harry not to bring his wife to Scotland, he claimed in his autobiography.
The Sussexes had left Archie, then three, and one-year-old Lili, in the hands of Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland in LA, after travelling to Manchester for a One World Summit on September 5, 2022, before heading to Dusseldorf for an Invictus event and then returning to London.
They ended up having to extend their stay when Harry’s grandmother died on September 8, staying to make various public appearances including greeting mourners with William and the Princess of Wales at Windsor despite the brothers’ rift, and attending the funeral on September 19.
Many also believe that Prince Harry has done his fair share of pining for his home country.
Several times during the show, Meghan is seeing getting up to brew herself a cup of tea, the hot beverage beloved by Brits
Another was a ‘cookie mix’ for shortbread, which is traditionally Scottish, perhaps a sign that she was missing the flavours of the UK
In his bombshell interview with the BBC in May, the Duke explicitly addressed his missing the UK, adding that he was ‘really quite sad’ that he hadn’t been able to show his children his homeland.
During the interview – where he claimed his father, King Charles ‘won’t speak to me’ – Harry expressed his desire to reach ‘reconciliation’ with his family.
Despite his desperate to desire to make amends, he added that he couldn’t ‘see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK.’
‘The things they are going to miss is everything. I love my country and always have done…despite what some people in that country have done,’ he said.
He said it would be ‘impossible’ to bring his family back to the UK after losing a legal challenge over the withdrawal of his security detail.
Harry said that he still loved the UK ‘despite what some people in that country have done’ and added that it was ‘really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland’.
He said hew was ‘devastated’ after sensationally losing his battle over taxpayer-funded police bodyguards – putting him on the hook for £1.5million in legal costs.
At the time of the hearings for their case, Harry expressed his sadness about leaving his ‘home’ in the UK, adding that he wanted his children to ‘feel at home’ in the country where they have dual heritage.
In his bombshell interview with the BBC in May, the Duke explicitly addressed his missing the UK, adding that he was ‘really quite sad’ that he hadn’t been able to show his children his homeland
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‘The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home, as much as where they live at the moment in the United States,’ he wrote.
Continuing, he said: ‘That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.’
Last year, a source reportedly close to the Prince, claimed that Harry was ‘increasingly bored’ in the States and looking back to home.
‘Harry is increasingly bored and looking back across the Atlantic where most of his army and school friends still live,’ royal expert, Tom Quinn told The Mirror.
Additionally, distance isn’t the only reason that he is struggling to meet some of his childhood friends, according to Quinn.
He said: ‘They won’t visit him in the States because they find Meghan difficult’.
Around the same time, King Charles’ former butler, Grant Harrold, said the couple were looking to buy a home in the UK and were considering spending up to half a year there.
‘If Harry does buy a place in the UK, he and Meghan will live there for part of the year and part of the year in the States, that was the original idea,’ he said.
Though, he didn’t believe that it was likely Meghan would make the move ‘permanently’.
‘I can believe that Harry would like to be back here, he loves the UK. He had an amazing upbringing here, he loved living here and I remember that,’ the former butler said.
One of Harry’s oldest friends told The Times that Harry is an ‘angry boy’ who wishes things had turned out differently.
‘I think he misses being over here [in Britain] desperately and wants to be admired more. Anyone who knows him feels he’d rather be top of the pops here with everyone loving him, as they do with William and Kate,’ they said.
