A BBC presenter took a veiled swipe at Harry and Meghan today by saying of their children: ‘I don’t imagine they’ll go to the local state school.’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to be returning for an extended stay within days, with Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, already enrolled at a British school.
BBC Breakfast host Rachel Burden was interviewing Education Secretary Lucy Powell about the news, which the MP insisted was a ‘strong endorsement’ of the UK’s education system.
Midway through the interview, the presenter quipped of Archie and Lilibet: ‘I don’t think they’ll go to the local state school, do you?’
Ms Powell agreed this was unlikely, replying: ‘I don’t imagine they probably will and, of course, they would have had to apply for a place last October and known where they were living.’
The minister went on to insist that the couple’s return was a boost for Britain.
‘I’m pleased to see they are coming back to this country to live here. It’s a great endorsement of our education system,’ she said.
‘We do have great schools…. we have a great education system here and it is one of the things that attracts people from around the world, whether that is universities or our school system.
‘Clearly they want their children educated here, and that’s great to see.’
A-level results revealed earlier this month showed private school pupils once again outperformed their state-school peers, with the proportion achieving A and A* grades rising to 48.6 per cent.
Ms Powell will be keeping a close eye on GCSE results, which come out today.
Archie is expected to start at his new school in September, although it is not yet known whether the family’s move will be permanent.
Harry and Meghan with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in December 2025
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne in April
BBC Breakfast host Rachel Burden was interviewing Education Secretary Lucy Powell about the news, which the MP insisted was a ‘strong endorsement’ of the UK’s education system
Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, currently all attend the same independent school, £32,000-a-year Lambrook in Berkshire.
George will follow in William and Harry’s footsteps by going to Eton.
However, Harry’s comments about his time there suggest he is unlikely to make the same choice for Archie.
‘I was one of those kids at school who did not enjoy classroom work,’ he wrote in his memoir, Spare
‘If it wasn’t for the sports field, and the amount of sports that were on offer, there’s no way I would have stayed in school.’
Before Eton, Harry and William attended £34,600-a-year Wetherby School in London for pre-prep education before boarding at Ludgrove School in Berkshire, which charges £14,400 a term.
The Duke of Sussex’s friends have long insisted he would like to his children to go to a British school.
‘I can tell you that Harry wants to educate the children here in the UK,’ one told the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden last year.
‘Harry feels his children are missing out on the extensive family network that their niece and nephews are enjoying.
‘Harry wants his children to have the very best education. He has retained his closest friendship group of confidants from his days at school at Ludgrove and Eton. He wants that for his own children.’
A boarding school education appears unlikely for the Sussex children, given Meghan’s reported criticism of the practice as ‘barbaric’.
‘There is still some negotiation for Harry to have with Meghan. The King, however, is delighted,’ the friend said at the time.
That comment suggests that the Duke had mentioned his British education plan to his father.
Harry wants to give his son, Prince Archie, and daughter, Princess Lilibet, a taste of his own childhood back home. Meghan, however, is said to consider sending children to boarding school ‘barbaric’
Harry playing sport at Eton. The Prince found it hard to settle in at Eton but he did eventually make friends who he would join for a cigarette under Windsor bridge
The location of Harry and Meghan’s new home in Britain has not been revealed for privacy reasons.
The family will move into a non-royal residence and will not be working members of the Royal Family.
King Charles was only informed by his son on Sunday that he planned to move back to the UK later this month, while the Prince and Princess of Wales have also been notified.
It is understood that while the King welcomes the opportunity to see Harry and his family in a private capacity, he is clear there will be no change to the Duke and Duchess’s status as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family.
Sources insist, however, that it is not part of the Sussexes’ plans to return to the royal fold.
Last night Harry was pictured smiling broadly at a roundtable discussion in Washington on increasing support for veterans.
Harry was already scheduled to visit Britain for the WellChild Awards next month and had been expected to stay at Buckingham Palace.
But the Duke, 41, and Duchess, 45, no longer require accommodation for their stay, with the whole family believed to be returning for an extended stay within the next two weeks.
