Meghan Markle’s dramatic U-turn after slamming UK schools
Meghan Markle once fiercely defended her decision to educate Prince Archie in California, suggesting a normal school run would be impossible in Britain - but four years later, the Sussexes appear to have had a dramatic change of heart. The Duchess of Sussex, 45, raised concerns about the lack of privacy her children could face if they attended school in the UK during a wide-ranging interview with The Cut in 2022.
At the time, journalist Allison P. Davis accompanied Meghan as she collected the then-three-year-old Archie from preschool near the family’s Montecito home, where the Duchess was able to walk to the gates without a waiting pack of photographers.
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Meghan contrasted that experience with what she believed life would have been like in across the pond, with Davis writing that the Duchess felt “she’d never be able to do school pickup and drop-off without it being a royal photo call with a press pen of 40 people snapping pictures”.
The Duchess proceeded to defend her concerns in no uncertain terms, saying: “Sorry, I have a problem with that. That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”
Fast-forward to 2026 and the picture could hardly look more different, with Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, now reportedly enrolled at a British school ahead of the Sussex family’s shock return.
Harry and Meghan are expected to return to Britain with their children later this month, marking their most significant move back towards the UK since dramatically stepping down as working royals more than six years ago.
The family are reportedly planning an extended stay rather than returning to royal duties, with Archie and Lilibet due to begin school here when the new academic year gets underway in September.
Their school has not been publicly identified and details are expected to remain private, while the family’s new British base will also be away from the royal spotlight.
Rather than moving into one of the monarchy’s residences, Harry and Meghan are expected to live in a private property outside London, maintaining the independence they fought so publicly to establish when they left royal life.
The Sussexes are also understood to be keeping their sprawling Montecito home in California, meaning their return does not represent a complete abandonment of the life they have built in America.
They will additionally retain their property in Portugal, giving the family bases on both sides of the Atlantic as they begin what could become a very different chapter.
The King was reportedly informed of the couple’s decision on Sunday, just days before news of the extraordinary move emerged, and is understood to welcome the prospect of spending more private time with his youngest son and grandchildren.