On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a long-term return to the UK with their two kids, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, for the first time since their controversial 2020 exit.
The couple’s potential new neighbors in the Cotswolds were reportedly already unhappy about the media attention the two would bring.
Highlights
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently moved back to the UK and hope to send their kids, Archie and Lilibet, to a private school.
- A royal insider claimed that UK schools sent warning letters to other parents about the former royals days before classes started.
- The two have been criticized for disrupting their children’s lives and leaving their pets behind, among other things.
Now, an insider said local schools sent residents warning letters about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, including a series of new rules they would have to adopt.
“I would immediately remove my kid from the school,” one netizen commented.
UK schools sent parents a reminder about media interest as Harry and Meghan’s kids get ready to start classes
According to reports, the former royals plan to stay in the UK until their children finish school, and they are house-hunting in the Cotswolds region of England.
While which schools Archie and Lilibet will attend is not yet public knowledge, certain private schools in the UK have already warned parents about new strict rules surrounding Harry and Meghan.
The names of the institutions were withheld due to privacy reasons.
“The message sent to families essentially said that, from time to time, some families joining the school may attract a greater level of public or media interest,” royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told Page Six.
He said the letter also stated that the schools aim to make sure all children can enjoy school life in “a safe, happy, and private environment.”
“It then reminded parents and carers not to photograph or film other children without permission, or share photographs, information or details about pupils or their families on social media,” Schofield added.
She also shared that the Sussexes had “approached multiple schools” before relocating across the pond.
Schofield previously said that their potential new neighbors in the Cotswolds have advised the couple to keep a low profile while settling in, and "to shut up for at least eight months."
Harry and Meghan reportedly have not prioritized academia while looking for a new school for their kids
Harry and Meghan’s decision to move back to the UK, leaving behind their $15 million Montecito mansion in California, came as a shock to many.
Insiders told multiple outlets at the time that Harry wanted his kids to live closer to his father, King Charles III, who made his cancer diagnosis public in 2024.
As for their education, a friend of the couple recently told the Daily Mail that “academia” was “very low on the list” of their priorities for the school Archie and Lilibet would attend starting in September.
“A nurturing atmosphere is very high on the list,” they said. “Probably the highest priority is the outdoorsy and sporting ethos. They want to put them in a secure countryside microcosm, so that they will have as normal a childhood as they possibly can.”
They also said Harry wanted his kids to have the schooling experience he had at Ludgrove, where the “fellow pupils treated him and his brother, Prince William, as absolutely one of their own.”
Sources previously said Harry’s reason for choosing to stay in the Cotswolds is that it is home to Charles and Queen Camilla’s Highgrove House residence, where he grew up with William.
Recent reports claim that the pair have settled on a $16.2 million house, with Meghan demanding nine bedrooms and a film studio, and Harry hoping for “lots of land” on the property.
The two were blasted online for allegedly leaving behind their kids’ “beloved” pets
While the move was an “agreed-upon goal” to give their kids an ideal childhood, Harry and Meghan have continued to face online criticism over their parenting — a trend that has persisted since the kids were born.
The entire time they were in the US, critics have accused the couple of keeping their children too far removed from their royal family and British heritage.
The couple has also faced backlash from people who believe their children have been exposed to too much public attention despite Harry and Meghan's repeated emphasis on privacy.
At times, users have accused Meghan of “making things up” for her social media posts featuring the kids, “forcing” them to pose for the pictures, and often “neglecting” them by making them wear “dirty” clothes and no shoes.
Ever since their return to the UK, she has been slammed for upending her children’s lives and subjecting them to a “culture shock” on short notice.
“Those poor children have parents with the means to make the move as seamless and as painless as possible, but unfortunately those selfish and vengeful parents have no regard for their children,” one person said.
“Megan has a pattern of abandoning people and pets,” another said, after reports said that the family left behind Archie and Lilibet’s “beloved” flock of chickens back in California.
"Making a nuisance of themselves," one netizen commented
