Prince Harry reveals unexpected reality of Archie and Lilibet's new life in the UK

Prince Harry shared rare insight into how his young kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, were settling in at their new school in the UK, almost two months after the family moved over from California.

The 42-year-old, who shares his children with his wife, Meghan Markle, explained to GQ that Archie and Lilibet were "loving school" and had been invited on a myriad of playdates, indicating that they were enjoying their new home.  

Archie and Lilibet's new normal

"It's been nice to be close to friends, family, friends and friends and their children as well – to be able to have endless play dates to really, like, help our kids settle in," he explained.

"To actually have my whole family there with me, the place that I grew up, wanting to be able to show my kids where I grew up and have them have the experiences to some extent that I had – the good rather than necessarily the bad – provided real, proper, serious thinking as to, 'This is an opportunity, let's do it now.'"

Harry added that having his kids in the British school system "has meant a lot" and gave them "a whole different experience" compared to the US.

"I think for kids at seven and five to be able to have that comparison and to have two completely different cultural experiences is so important today," he said. "For us, when certain stars align, and it's clear that this should or probably will end up being the case, then we lean into that."

Catch a glimpse of Archie and Lilibet in the UK below...

Prince Harry's fears about the media

As for the media frenzy surrounding the Sussex family's return to the UK after six years, the father of two shared his hopes that things would calm down for them over time. 

"I think once you've been through it, once you've been able to talk about it, and raise awareness [of] it, then people see it for what it is, it makes the environment slightly easier," he shared. "It's not going to necessarily stop the behaviour, but I think the behaviour might – my hope that it will – change."

Prince Harry's preparations for their UK return

Singer Joss Stone previously revealed to HELLO! that Harry was thinking about moving back to the UK for some time, and had asked her opinion on the matter considering she had done the same after living in Nashville.

"He was saying how wonderful the schools are here and how important community is for children," she shared of their interaction at the 2025 WellChild Awards.

"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."

Archie's school request revealed

While Archie and Lilibet have been settling into UK life, Harry noted that there was one thing in particular that his son was not looking forward to: maths classes.

During an appearance in Nottingham on October 15 alongside his wife, Harry revealed to a group of school kids that Archie was not a fan of the subject.

"My son turned round to me and said, 'Can I go to a school that doesn't do math?' I said, 'Doesn't exist,'" he quipped. "And he went to this new school, and on the first day, and the first class, guess what it was?"