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The Sussexes are moving back to Britain after six years in California
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are bringing their two children back across the Atlantic after six years based in Montecito, California, with both youngsters set to begin their education in Britain for the first time this September.
Seven-year-old Prince Archie will enter Year Three, whilst five-year-old Princess Lilibet is enrolled in Year One. The family intends to be settled into their new home before the end of August.
The specific school the Sussex children will attend has not been disclosed, though it is situated close to the family's new residence. Security considerations are understood to be behind the decision to keep these details confidential.
The couple are widely expected to have selected a co-educational day school rather than a boarding institution. Both children previously attended school near the family's Montecito estate, which the Sussexes plan to retain.
King Charles was told of the family's relocation plans on Sunday, August 16, and is understood to welcome the prospect of greater time with his grandchildren away from public scrutiny.
The monarch's enthusiasm follows a significant reunion this summer, when Harry, Meghan and the children visited Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 79, at Highgrove House, the King's private country estate in Gloucestershire. It was the first occasion in more than four years that Charles had spent time with Archie and Lilibet.
The Highgrove meeting also represented only the third time Harry and his father had seen one another since the King's cancer diagnosis in 2024.
Archie was born in Britain in 2019, while Lilibet arrived in California in 2021. The children had visited the UK just twice since the family's transatlantic move, once for the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022, when Charles met his granddaughter for the first time.
Lambrook School
One institution frequently cited as a likely model for the Sussexes' choice is Lambrook School, the co-educational day school in Berkshire where Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are currently pupils, and from which Prince George has just graduated.
The three Wales children transferred to Lambrook after Prince William and the Princess of Wales moved their family from Kensington to Windsor in 2022. George and Charlotte had previously been enrolled at Thomas's Battersea in London, with their parents praising the school's ethos and values upon departing.
The expectation that Harry and Meghan will opt for a co-educational day school mirrors the approach William and Catherine have taken with their own children. Lambrook caters to boys and girls alike, a format that would allow both Archie and Lilibet to attend the same institution, a practical consideration for any family with children of different ages.
Ludgrove School
Harry's own preparatory school accepts pupils aged eight to 13, with termly fees of £14,477. Its headmaster during Harry's time there was renowned for shielding both princes from media intrusion. Charles and Diana's former spokesperson Dickie Arbiter once remarked: "Ludgrove was extremely good at protecting him and later Harry. It took them out of troubled waters." Despite this legacy of discretion, the Sussexes may have ruled it out because the institution is boarding-only and single-sex.
Bedales School
This Hampshire school is regarded as a less conventional alternative, offering co-education for children aged three to 18. Its royal alumni include David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto, Princess Margaret's two children.
Lily Allen and Daniel Day-Lewis also attended. Day fees stand at £14,219 per term, rising to £18,357 for boarders.
Eton College
Harry's spokesman confirmed in 2025 that the duke had not registered Archie for Eton and had no intention of doing so. The college's minimum entry age of 13 also makes it irrelevant for either child at present.
The family's return represents the strongest indication yet that Harry considers the long-standing dispute over security arrangements to have reached a turning point.
Protection concerns had kept Archie and Lilibet away from Britain for extended periods, with the children making no visits between the 2022 Platinum Jubilee trip and this summer's stay. A protracted public disagreement between Harry and the Palace over both security provision and accommodation preceded the family's most recent journey.
The Sussexes will keep their £11million, nine-bedroom Montecito property whilst establishing an independent home in Britain. Crucially, the couple have chosen not to reside on a royal estate, instead securing a private residence where the children's new school is nearby. The family plans to complete the move before the autumn term begins.
