Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Considered Moving to New Zealand

rotorua, new zealand october 31 prince harry, duke of sussex and meghan, duchess of sussex arrive at the public walkabout at the rotorua government gardens on october 31, 2018 in rotorua, new zealand the duke and duchess of sussex are on their official 16 day autumn tour visiting cities in australia, fiji, tonga and new zealand photo by michael bradley poolgetty images

(Image credit: Pool)

published 8 August 2021

Just a few months after their royal wedding, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were already considering moving away from the United Kingdom, it seems.
According to New Zealand's governor-general, Dame Patsy Reddy, the couple asked her about the logistics of moving to New Zealand when she met with them during their royal tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2018.
"When we sat down and had a drink, and they said that they could imagine living in a place like this and wondered whether we thought it would be theoretically possible," she said of the conversation. "Of course, we said, 'Sure. It would be fine' — there are lots of opportunities to live in New Zealand, but that would be something that they'd have to explore."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle knew early on that life in the United Kingdom wasn't going to work for them longterm.

Way back in 2018, just a few months after their wedding, the Sussexes toyed with the idea of moving to New Zealand, according to Dame Patsy Reddy, the country's governor-general. In a recent interview, Reddy revealed that Harry and Meghan asked her about the possibility of moving when she met with them during their royal tour of Australia and New Zealand.

"When we sat down and had a drink, and they said that they could imagine living in a place like this and wondered whether we thought it would be theoretically possible," she told the Associated Press. "Of course, we said, 'Sure. It would be fine' — there are lots of opportunities to live in New Zealand, but that would be something that they'd have to explore."

Reddy told the AP that Harry and Meghan seemed to love the "access to the outdoors" in New Zealand and that they had good experiences when they interacted with the people living there. Ultimately, however, Reddy said the talks remained very informal and, obviously, the Sussexes didn't end up pursuing a move.

"They were looking at how they might raise their family and obviously they've made some decisions since," she said.

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.