Prince Harry's Push for Royal Upbringing for Archie and Lilibet Draws Scrutiny After Palace Exit
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are returning to the U.K. for an extended stay, with sources saying Harry wants Archie and Lilibet to understand their British heritage. Royal experts point to a contradiction between the couple's 2020 departure and their current efforts to reconnect their children with royal life.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are preparing to return to the United Kingdom for an extended stay beginning this fall, a move that has renewed attention on the couple's complicated relationship with the royal family they left more than six years ago. At the center of the renewed scrutiny is Harry's stated desire for his two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to grow up understanding their British heritage and their place within the royal family.
According to a source cited by People magazine, Harry wants his children to understand the world he grew up in and where their family comes from. The couple's children recently started school in England, a significant step toward the extended U.K. stay. The decision to leave their home in Montecito, California, for an extended period was not easy for Meghan, the source added, noting that she loves their life in California but that the family feels the move is the right thing for them.
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield, host of the YouTube program Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, described what she called a glaring contradiction in Harry's approach. Harry spent years explaining why he needed to escape royal life and said his father and brother were trapped, she noted, yet he now appears determined to ensure his children understand and retain their connection to that same institution. Schofield suggested that with time and distance, Harry may have realized that walking away from royal duties was easier than walking away from the history, family and identity that came with them.
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich said it is entirely understandable that Harry wants Archie and Lilibet to appreciate their British heritage, traditions and extended family. However, she added that after everything Harry has said and done, it is highly unlikely the family will ever fully trust him or welcome the Sussexes back into the family fold. Fordwich argued that Harry has expressed a clear wish for his children to understand their paternal history.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as working royals and moved to California more than six years ago. They later signed lucrative contracts with Netflix and Spotify as they sought financial independence. In a series of interviews and Harry's memoir Spare, the couple said they left Britain to escape the restrictions of royal life and criticized palace officials for being insensitive to Meghan's mental health. They also alleged that at least one member of the royal family had expressed racist views when Meghan was pregnant with their first child. Meghan, a former actress, is biracial.
Although relations with some members of the royal family have soured, Harry told the BBC in 2025 that he wanted to reconcile with his family. In the same interview, he said he could not envision bringing Meghan and their children back to the U.K. because of concerns over their security. His father, King Charles III, continues to receive treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard said Harry and Meghan want their children to build close relationships with their cousins and the wider British royal family. She noted that this was reportedly one of the deciding factors in their U.K. return. Chard added that it is understandable why the family will keep their distance from the Sussexes, and she suggested that Harry and Meghan should work toward genuine peace with the family for their children's sake.
Schofield observed that Harry has reached a point where he recognizes Britain is a huge part of his children's identity. Archie and Lilibet are grandchildren of the king, their grandfather appears on British currency, their uncle will one day be king, and their cousins represent the future of the monarchy. Schofield said Harry wants to reopen the royal door, but perhaps on his own terms, while the monarchy has never operated that way. She described the tension between wanting the privileges of royal family life and maintaining the independence Harry chose in 2020 as the uncomfortable reality at the heart of the story.
