ROYAL NEWS
ROYAL, REALLY? Harry and Meghan Are Determined to Ensure Archie and Lilibet Grow Up With the Prestige of Being Royal
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s dramatic return to Britain has reignited a question that has followed the Sussexes ever since they stepped away from royal duties: what place do they want their children to have within the Royal Family? After more than six years living in California, the couple have returned to the UK with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who are expected to begin school in Britain. Although Harry and Meghan are not returning as working royals, their decision to raise their children partly in Britain has inevitably placed the royal identity of the next generation back under the spotlight.
Archie and Lilibet already possess royal titles. They became Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet following the accession of their grandfather, King Charles III, in 2022. Yet titles alone are only one part of royal identity. By bringing their children into British schools and giving them greater exposure to the country, Harry and Meghan appear to be creating a stronger connection between their children and their father’s royal heritage. Reports indicate that the family will live in a private, non-royal residence rather than a palace, meaning the children can experience aspects of British life without being raised as working members of the monarchy.
The timing of the move has made the decision even more intriguing. Harry and Meghan spent years establishing a separate life in California after abandoning their official royal roles and pursuing financial independence. During that period, Archie and Lilibet grew up largely away from the British Royal Family and were rarely seen with their royal relatives. Now, however, the children are being brought back into the environment from which their father’s identity originates, giving them opportunities to understand their British heritage and develop relationships with members of their extended family.
For Harry, the connection to Britain is particularly complicated. He has repeatedly described the country as his home, despite building a new life in the United States. His return with his wife and children therefore represents more than a change of address. It potentially gives Archie and Lilibet something Harry himself lost after leaving royal life: a regular connection to the people, places and traditions associated with the Windsor family. Their schooling in Britain could allow them to experience a part of their heritage that would have been difficult to maintain from California alone.
There is also the question of their grandparents. King Charles recently reunited with Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet at Highgrove, marking an important moment after years of distance. The children’s return could give Charles more opportunities to see his grandchildren, particularly while he continues his cancer treatment. Reports indicate that Charles welcomes the opportunity to see the Sussex family privately, even though there is no change to Harry and Meghan’s status as non-working members of the Royal Family.
But this does not mean Archie and Lilibet are being prepared to become working royals. That distinction is crucial. Harry and Meghan have no public plans to resume official royal duties, and their return does not restore them to the institutional role they held before 2020. The children may carry royal titles and royal ancestry, but that is very different from being active representatives of the Crown. Their future position will ultimately depend on circumstances that are still years away.
Still, their presence in Britain could give the Sussex children a form of royal prestige that would be difficult to replicate in America. Archie and Lilibet are grandchildren of the reigning monarch and remain part of the wider royal family. Growing up with greater exposure to British traditions, royal history and their family connections could reinforce that identity, even if their parents continue to live independently from the institution. For some royal watchers, that creates an intriguing contradiction: Harry and Meghan walked away from the working monarchy, yet their children remain unmistakably connected to it.
The move could also eventually bring Archie and Lilibet closer to their cousins. Their relationship with Prince William’s children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis—has inevitably been affected by the distance and tensions between their parents. A life based partly in Britain creates more possibilities for the younger generation to develop relationships away from the disputes that have dominated the adults. Whether those relationships grow closer will depend largely on the wider family situation, particularly the unresolved relationship between Harry and Prince William.
And that may be where the real controversy begins. Critics could ask whether Harry and Meghan want the independence of private life while still preserving the advantages associated with royal status for their children. Supporters, however, could argue that there is nothing contradictory about wanting children to know their heritage. Archie and Lilibet did not choose the circumstances surrounding their parents’ departure from royal life. They were born into a family with centuries of history, and their parents may simply want them to understand where they come from.
For now, the Sussexes’ return appears to be creating a new middle ground rather than a return to the old royal order. Harry and Meghan remain private, non-working members of the Royal Family, while Archie and Lilibet are beginning a new chapter in Britain as the grandchildren of the King. Whether the children eventually become more visible within the royal world—or remain firmly outside it—remains unknown. But one thing is already clear: by bringing Archie and Lilibet back to Britain, Harry and Meghan have ensured that the question of what it means to be “royal” will follow their family into its next chapter.