Jenna Bush Hager called out Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for “lighting a match” with their royal exit — only to return to the UK six years later.
Bush Hager, along with her co-host Sheinelle Jones, said that the couple’s shock move back to Britain should be a “lesson” to others during Thursday’s episode of “Today with Jenna & Sheinelle.”
“It’s a lesson for everybody. When you leave something and say you’re never going back… [don’t] light a match,” Bush Hager said.
Jenna Bush Hager called out Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for “lighting a match” with their royal exit just to return to the UK years later. TODAY with Jenna and Sheinelle/Youtube
On Thursday, Bush Hager, along with her co-host Sheinelle Jones, agreed the couple’s shock move back to Britain should be a “lesson” for everyone. TODAY with Jenna and Sheinelle/Youtube
Jones added that when Markle and Harry announced they were leaving England for California in 2020, they were like, “We’re out. Hello, US.”
“They sort of threw whatever at the institutions that exist in the UK,” Bush Hager chimed in. “It’s hard to say things like that and then be like, ‘Well…’” the host trailed off, as she threw her hands in the air.
She also discussed the couple’s visit to the UK last month, during which they brought their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to see King Charles III and Queen Camilla for the first time in four years.
“Think about little kids’ lives, how much changes in four years. It’s like, [they’re] totally different humans,’ Bush Hager said.
“It’s a lesson for everybody. When you leave something and say you’re never going back… [don’t] light a match,” Bush Hager said of the pair (pictured in November 2025). BACKGRID
Bush Hager also pointed out that Harry and Markle (seen above in 2022) “sort of threw whatever at the institutions that exist in the UK” and shouldn’t act like they never did. WireImage,
The journalists’ discussion comes after Page Six confirmed Wednesday that Meghan and Harry will return to the UK at the end of the month for “an extended period.”
We’re also told that their children will be enrolled at a school there.
“The palace was made aware of the move,” a source told us, noting that Charles was told on Sunday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be returning to Britain.
On Wednesday, Page Six confirmed the couple (pictured earlier this month) will return to the UK at the end of the month for “an extended period.” / SplashNews.com
Our source added that their two kids (pictured here) have been enrolled in school there and that “the palace was made aware of the move.” meghan/Instagram
“I know that Charles is the reason they are moving back,” an insider told Page Six.
Our source added that while the monarch “looks forward” to spending more time with Harry and Markle, he made it clear that their role and status as private individuals and “non-working members” of the royal family will not change.
Back in January 2020, Harry, 41, and Markle, 45 announced they were stepping away from their duties as “senior” members of the royal family and moving to Montecito, California, in a move dubbed “Megxit.”
In January 2020 Harry and Markle (pictured Aug. 7) announced they were stepping away from their duties as “senior” members of the royal family and moved to California. The David Foster Foundation via Getty Images
In the years that followed, the couple (pictured earlier this month) publicly spoke out against the royal family / SplashNews.com
About a year after they settled into their new home in the US, Harry and Markle sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a tell-all interview, in which the “Suits” alum discussed her tortured relationship with the royal family.
In one of the biggest bombshells from the sit-down, Markle claimed that some members of the royal family had concerns over “how dark [Archie’s] skin might be when he was born,” as she is biracial.
At the time, Prince William defended the royal family against claims that the institution had any racial prejudices, bluntly saying the royals are “very much not a racist family.”
Their comments particularly severed ties with Harry’s brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton (pictured in 2018.) Samir Hussein/WireImage
Although Harry and Markle reunited with his father last month, Page Six is told that Harry and William’s relationship is still “so broken.” REUTERS
The two have continued to speak out against the royal family, most notably in Harry’s 2023 memoir, “Spare,” in which the Duke of Sussex accused his brother, William, of physically attacking him.
Given their actions, Harry and Meghan have largely fallen out with some members of the royal family over the years — particularly William and his wife, Kate Middleton.
Despite the Sussexes reuniting with King Charles in July, there was “no contact” with William or Middleton during their visit. We were told that their relationship was “so broken.”