Prince Harry has broken his silence on why he and Meghan Markle uprooted their family from California to return to British soil.
Harry, 42, told GQ that giving Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, a British education ranked among his top priorities. “Being able to put the kids in a British school has meant a lot to me,” he said in the interview. “I didn’t know how important it was to me.”
The Duke of Sussex revealed the children had already completed two weeks at their new school and were thriving. “I always thought it was gonna be something that I would try and do or that we would try and do, but now they’ve been in school for two weeks,” he explained. “They’re loving it.”
Harry was careful to draw a distinction rather than a critique. “Don’t worry, I’m not criticizing American schools,” he clarified. “But I think for kids at 7 and 5 to be able to have that comparison and to have two completely different cultural experiences is so important today.” He noted Archie and Lilibet had gained “a whole different experience” already.
Proximity to his fractured family also factored heavily into the decision. The Duke said he wanted to be “closer” to his relatives despite ongoing estrangement from King Charles III, 77, and Prince William. “But yeah, to be back closer to my family and to be back on UK soil for longer than a few days or a week here or there, you know?” he shared. “So, it’s nice to be back.”
Markle, 45, and Harry relocated with their children in August, marking more than six years since the couple stepped back from royal duties and moved to North America. The timing aligned with Charles’s cancer diagnosis, which Harry has previously acknowledged. Reports said exclusively that Harry wanted to be closer to his father during the King’s treatment.
The family’s adjustment has involved rebuilding local connections. Harry described the social benefits of their return: “It’s been nice to be close to friends, family, friends and friends and their children as well … to be able to have endless playdates to really help our kids settle in.”
The Sussexes have begun re-engaging with public life in their former home country. Last week, Harry and Markle made their first official joint appearance since returning, visiting Nottingham. The couple met with Hubb Community Kitchen members at the Himmah Hub food bank, toured Epic Partners, and observed an acting workshop led by André Squire at the studio.
Harry’s remarks about reconciliation have drawn particular attention. He told GQ that working things out with Charles and William mattered deeply to him. “The most important thing is to reconcile,” he said, though he suggested the willingness was not mutual. “I want to work it out,” he stated, adding that others in the family “don’t want to.”
The Duke’s comments mark a notable shift in tone from previous interviews promoting his memoir “Spare,” which detailed painful rifts within the royal family. His current emphasis on opportunity and cultural exchange for his children frames the relocation as forward-looking rather than conflict-driven.
Harry’s acknowledgment that his “attitude has changed” underscores what appears to be a recalibrated approach to his family relationships and public positioning. The move itself, executed quietly in August, reversed the geographic rupture that had defined the Sussexes’ post-royal narrative since 2020.
The couple’s North American departure had followed their January 2020 announcement that they would step back as senior working royals, seeking financial independence and splitting time between the United Kingdom and North America. That plan quickly collapsed into a permanent relocation to California, where they established a production company, signed streaming deals, and raised their two children away from royal scrutiny.