According to royal expert and author of *Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family*, Tom Quinn, the prince is experiencing nostalgic feelings for his former life across the pond. While the Duke wishes to spend more time in England, Quinn told *The Mirror* that the Duchess has already stated her intention not to return to the UK. "The Duke wants to spend more time in the UK, but he knows he is going to have to do it alone," said Quinn. "It is no secret that the Duchess has made it clear that she has no plans to go back to England. If the Duke wants to mend fences with his family, this will make it very difficult for him to do so."
Quinn continued by discussing the Duke's friendships, noting that he longs for his military friends and that, with the honeymoon period of his major relocation to California over, the reality of living so far away from home is beginning to sink in. "After the excitement of moving to the US, the honeymoon period is now over, and the Duke is beginning to find time hangs heavy for him. He is increasingly nostalgic for much of his old life back in the UK. For all his problems with his family, he always loved his military and school friends, and he misses them."
Speaking after reports surfaced that the Sussexes used to have a hidden estate in the Cotswolds where they frequently hosted guests and parties, the royal insider said that the couple enjoyed being away from the media and public glare in London. In his biography *Spare*, the Duke of Sussex remarked that he considered the cottage to be his forever home until it wasn't. They resided at the rural property while Frogmore Cottage was being rebuilt. "This very spot was planned to serve as my permanent residence at one point," he reported. "In reality, it had been little more than a quick pit stop."
