Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have left the UK to 'be reunited with Archie and Lilibet'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle extended their stay in the UK following the sudden passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8th September.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Britain on the first weekend of the month, attending the One Young Summit in Manchester before flying to Germany for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 One Year to Go event. They had also planned to attend the WellChild Awards in London on September 8th before heading back to the US, but following the sad news of the monarch's death the couple cancelled their appearance and remained in the country for the official period of mourning.

During their time in the UK, Harry and Meghan greeted well-wishers at Windsor Castle alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton, and attended various services and processions before the Queen's state funeral on Monday 19th September.

However, the couple planned to head back to California 'immediately after the funeral' and are reportedly already on their way back to the US.

According to HELLO! magazine, Harry and Meghan flew from London Heathrow airport on Tuesday 20th September to reunite with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, who remained in Montecito.

A source told US Weekly: 'Meghan and Harry are preparing to return to Montecito almost immediately after the funeral [on Monday], where they’ll be reunited with Archie and Lilibet after being separated for over two week. [It’s] the longest amount of time they’ve been apart from their children.

'They’ve missed the kids like crazy and have been FaceTiming them every day, but can’t wait to see and hold them again after a poignant few weeks.'

Their time with the royal family has prompted questions about whether they will resume roles within the monarchy, with experts claiming that their shared grief over their grandmother could 'bring Harry and William together'.