Enric and Meghan end the American dream and will return to the United Kingdom six years later

LondonThe American dream of Harry and Meghan Markle has ended in failure. Or, if one wants to be more benevolent, in an experience that has not gone as they had imagined. Six years after the Megxit, the prince and the actress, who in 2020 gave a slammed door to the British monarchy in the name of freedom, privacy, and financial independence, are preparing their return to the United Kingdom. And they are not doing it for a holiday: they will arrive at the end of August, and their children, Archie and Lilibet, will start at a British school in September. Just last year, in an interview with the BBC, Harry stated that he could not imagine any scenario in which he could bring his wife and children to the United Kingdom, given his concern for security. Who will pay this bill now is, for the moment, a mystery, although the office of the British premier has assured that it is a private matter.

The American plan was to have the best of both worlds: distance from the royal family, freedom to earn money, celebrity life in Montecito, and, at the same time, continue to commercially exploit the royal brand. A monarchy "half in, half out", precisely the formula that Buckingham Palace, then led by Elizabeth II, denied them. Now the equation is different: one foot in California, another in England, and a third in Portugal, where they also have a home, and where they are neighbors of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.

The six years of distance, moreover, are not just a sentimental detail, but also a fiscal one. British regulations on temporary non-residence ("temporary non-residence") provide that certain capital gains obtained during the period of non-residence may be taxed upon return if it occurs before the established deadline: six years. Since they have completed this period outside the United Kingdom, their return is not subject to this rule and therefore occurs under particularly favorable tax conditions.

The school factor for the children is the realization that the American years have not provided Harry with what he was looking for: a prince, no matter how much he wants to – and Harry has not wanted to – cannot fight against the destiny of his birth. Man, however, is lucky. And he arrives in a United Kingdom very different from the one he left: the Labour party is now in government and one of the projects of the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, is to promote employment among the long-term unemployed, as is the case with Charles III's second son.

The interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Netflix documentaries, the Spare memories, the legal battles against the British press... The couple turned their break with the institution into a lucrative narrative industry. But the entertainment industry needs more meat to put on the grill. After explaining to Americans, and to the world, over and over again, why they fled the gilded cage they lived in, perhaps the time has come to return to explain what has made them come back, and thus generate new chapters.

Besides business, are there more intimate reasons? It's possible. Charles III has gone through cancer and Enric has admitted that he is aware that the monarch's time is not eternal. The big question is whether The Firm, as the royal family is called in the United Kingdom, will be willing to receive him and forgive him. William and Kate are the most popular members of the monarchy and the ones who were most hurt by the revelations of Enric and Meghan. Six years after the Megxit, the circle closes. They left to escape the monarchy and return without wanting to be part of it. They wanted independence, but they need the royal brand. They wanted privacy and continue to live in the spotlight. They wanted a new life and now they are recovering the old one. How long will it take for the paparazzi to show their true colors?

The return is not exactly a capitulation. But even less so a victory. It is, rather, the late discovery that it is useless to flee from home, because home, or family demons, always accompany you wherever you go. The American dream ends with a one-way ticket to Heathrow, six full fiscal years of non-residence in your bag, and some family bridges that, now yes, will have to begin to be rebuilt. Enric is already planning for Charles III to inaugurate the Invictus Games in Birmingham by his side. The Crown already has a new season in sight.