Prince Harry Would Have Returned To UK Already If It Wasn't For This

Prince Harry may have bought a house in California, but he has plans to return to the U.K. soon. In fact, the Duke of Sussex said he would have been back already had it not been for the pandemic.

After stepping down from their roles as senior royals, Prince Harry and Markle have not been back to the U.K. since carrying out their final engagement in March. During a recent Zoom call with staff and volunteers from the Rugby Football League to mark the sport’s 125th birthday, the duke made a surprise admission regarding his plans to return home.

"We’ve got a whole rugby league World Cup coming next year," Prince Harry said during the call on Saturday. "I definitely plan on coming back. I would have been back already had it not been for COVID."

When Prince Harry and Markle announced their resignation as senior royals in January, the couple said they plan to split their time between the U.K. and North America. The Sussexes initially stayed on Vancouver Island, Canada, but after making their final appearance in the U.K. alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Markle and their 15-month-old son, Archie, moved to Los Angeles.

Royal correspondent Omid Scobie, who co-authored the new Sussex biography "Finding Freedom," recently said on the "Heirpod" podcast that Prince Harry and Markle will be spending "an extended period of time in the U.K. next year."

"In March, we have the Invictus Games, which has been rescheduled, in the Hague," Scobie explained during the podcast's Aug. 22 episode. "In June, we have Trooping the Colour, which I imagine Prince Harry and Meghan would like to still be at, and July 1, we have the unveiling of the [Princess Diana] statue."

Prince Harry and Prince William came together to release a rare joint statement announcing that the late Princess of Wales’ statue will be installed in a garden in Kensington Palace next year.

"The statue will be installed in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace on 1st July 2021, marking The Princess’s 60th birthday. The Princes hope that the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on their mother’s life and her legacy," the brothers said days before Princess Diana’s 23rd death anniversary.

At present, the Sussexes are living in their newly purchased $14 million mansion in Montecito, Santa Barbara, which they took out a mortgage for, according to Scobie. Prior to settling down in their own home, the royal couple stayed at Tyler Perry's mansion in Los Angeles for a few months.