Last weekend, we talked about the curious story, via the Mail’s Richard Eden, that Prince Harry suddenly wants his two children to be educated in Britain. Not just educated in the UK, but he wants them to attend British boarding schools. The story made zero sense if you actually listen to what Harry and Meghan have always said about their kids and wanting them to grow up away from the royal institution. Meghan even said recently that she wants her kids to stay close for as long as possible, and I’m sure Harry feels the same way. The whole “educated in the UK” thing is part of a larger narrative the British press is trying to force onto the Sussexes, that they’re desperate to come back, desperate to be back in the royal fold, desperate to do William and Kate’s work and desperate to educate their kids alongside the Wales kids. Well, Eden is back on his bullsh-t and doubling down on his claims.
When I disclosed in my Daily Mail social diary, Eden Confidential, last Saturday that the Duke of Sussex wanted his children to be educated in Britain, the story was met with predictable scorn from Harry and Meghan’s supporters. ‘No friend of Prince Harry would ever speak to you’ ,was one of the less abusive comments. ‘I don’t believe it,’ remarked another social media user. ‘Why would Harry want his kids to move to the UK when he’s so happy in the States?’
The duke’s friend whom I quoted had spoken to him during his visit to this country last week. ‘I can tell you that Harry wants to educate the children here in the UK,’ the pal said. ‘Harry feels his children are missing out on the extensive family network that their niece and nephews are enjoying,’ he added.
My contact was not the only old friend with whom the duke was keen to discuss the subject. Indeed, it seems to have been dominating Harry’s thoughts during his visit back home. Joss Stone, the pop star with whom Harry has been friends since she sang at a fundraising event for his father’s charity, The Prince’s Trust, two decades ago, recently moved back to Britain from Nashville, Tennessee. She has four children with her American husband, Cody DaLuz, and they wanted to educate their eldest, Violet, aged four, in Devon, where the singer grew up.
‘Maybe Harry will move back, too,’ she told Hello! magazine after chatting to him at the WellChild Awards in London. ‘That would be nice. He was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children. It was nice to share that with him because it’s exactly why we felt drawn to come back – for the kids to grow up surrounded by family, friends, and a strong sense of belonging and most importantly in a safe environment.’
…I can disclose that Harry apparently has serious reservations about American schools and seems determined that his son, Prince Archie, and daughter, Princess Lilibet, should be educated in Britain. Archie is only six years old and Lilibet, who was controversially given Queen Elizabeth’s pet name, is four, so they are unlikely to be sent to boarding school across the Atlantic any time soon. Their cousin Prince George, for example, won’t start boarding school (probably Eton) until next year.
Harry’s plan for his children, who have American accents, may lead to a battle with his wife, who is said to consider sending children to boarding school ‘barbaric’. The friend conceded: ‘There is still some negotiation for Harry to have with Meghan. The King, however, is delighted.’
That comment suggests the duke has mentioned the plan to his father, whom he met for tea at Clarence House last week – their first encounter in 19 months. The next step is to return with Meghan and their children, as Harry told The Guardian newspaper last weekend. ‘This week has definitely brought that closer,’ he said. Harry hopes by the time his children are of an age to attend school in Britain, he and his wife will be spending much more time here, possibly living in a royal residence if relations with the King continue to improve. First, though, he must convince Meghan their children’s future is in Britain, the country she left in such a hurry.
It just occurred to me that this is yet another attempt to create a “wedge issue” between Harry and Meghan. This is far from the first time the Windsors and the press have attempted something like this. They believe that if only they can find some weak point in the Sussex marriage, then magically Harry will divorce Meghan and move back to the UK…with the kids, who will be promptly sent off to British boarding schools. Anyway, this is pretty sad. Britain is not the only place where people can find community, and there are plenty of great schools in California. Instead of creating these involved fantasies about Archie going to Eton, shouldn’t royalists acknowledge that Meghan and her children are not going to step one foot in England without full royal protection, which would need to be ordered by the king?
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Meghan’s IG and Sussex Royal IG.
