Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to enrol Archie and Lilibet at a private prep school in the Cotswolds, it is understood, suggests their return to Britain could be a long-term move, according to a royal commentator.
Katie Nicholl has spoken out about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to move to the Midlands and what it suggests about their future living situation.
She said: “I’ve seen pictures of their new home. We’re not going to be identifying where it is for very obvious reasons.
“Harry and Meghan have made it clear that they want to be able to be private individuals. They are not returning as working members of the Royal Family. They want their children to be able to enrol at their new school and be able to enjoy a private life.
“What I can tell you is that it’s in the Cotswolds; it’s a very beautiful place; it’s an 18th-century farmhouse; it has a swimming pool and, most tellingly, it’s incredibly private.
“I’m told it’s set in 83 acres of private farmland. So, beautiful views, but not just that, no public footpaths. So, no access onto their estate, which means they can have what is so important to them: their privacy.”
Kevin Frazier, co-host of Entertainment Tonight, asked Ms Nicholl how much security the Sussexes would require in their new home
The royal commentator claimed: “Well, it’s a huge house; it’s set in 83 acres of land. They are going to need a significant security detail.
Archie and Lilibet pictured with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle volunteering in Los Angeles | INSTAGRAM/@MEGHAN
“Of course, not just while they’re in residence at home, but when they’re on the school run, when they’re going to do the local shop, their nearest supermarket, and I use that in inverted commas, is the very posh Daylesford Organic Farm Shop, where a pot of jam is even more expensive than Meghan’s fruit spread, so that’s probably where they’ll be doing their shopping.
“But, of course, they’re going to need security as they travel around the country and at the moment that’s being funded by Harry, but I’m sure there is going to be a change to Harry’s status when it comes to his security.”
GB News understands that lawyers acting for Prince Harry have written to the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, urging her to personally intervene in the decision over whether the Prince and his family are entitled to receive taxpayer-funded police protection.
Mr Frazier continued to ask Ms Nicholl about Archie and Lilibet’s school, to which she replied: “Pretty much as with the house, Kevin, people are keeping very tight-lipped about the schools.
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A drone view of Broadway, a village in the Cotswolds; it has not been confirmed where Harry and Meghan will live in the UK | REUTERS
“We know that they have enrolled them in a private prep school. I can tell you it’s not Ludgrove, which was one of the names being muted, because of course that’s where Prince William and Prince Harry went to prep school, and they really enjoyed it.
“It’s not there; it’s in fact a co-ed school, which means Archie and Lili will be at school together. It looks like a beautiful setting – there’s everything you could possibly imagine available for those pupils enrolled there, and they will, we understand, be starting next week.”
When asked how long the Sussexes will stay in Britain, Ms Nicholl claimed: “Well, I think we’ve all been so taken by surprise by the news that they’re coming over here, but I think the fact that they are investing in this incredibly expensive home, rumoured to be £6million, it seems to be their dream home. It ticks all their boxes. The fact that they are enrolling both of their children into a really good private prep school all points to this being a longer-term move.
“I think they’re covering themselves by saying it could be six months, it could be 12 months; we don’t yet know. I think the point is they want to make this move work, and they want to make this move long-term.
“Everything I’ve heard is that at the heart of it all, Harry is really missing his family; he wants to be closer to his family and to his friends, and he spent the past six years overseas.
“He misses England, he very much wants his children to have a British education, and it’s the long-term as far as he’s concerned.”
When asked if King Charles is happy, Ms Nicholl continued to tell ET: “I do, Kevin, and I was speaking to a contact close to the King today who was saying he is genuinely pleased that Harry is coming back, that it’s going to mean he gets to see more of his son.
“He’s going to get to see more of his grandchildren, and I think for any grandfather, regardless of his health, that is something to look forward to, and of course it’s the King’s hope that the rest of the family will be as welcoming to Harry and Meghan as the King.”
The Duke of Sussex is unlikely to reconcile with his older brother, Prince William, according to the royal commentator.
She claimed: “I think a lot of people would like to see that; I’m still being told that that is that is some way off, that William is still very angry that he has been completely blindsided by the Sussexes’ very sudden decision to move back to Britain.
“This coincides, let’s not forget, with an important moment for William and Catherine: Catherine’s in remission. She’s got a really busy autumn coming up.
“I think there’s a sense that she’s making up for some of the lost time where she was out of action, and she’s so excited to get back to work.
“Of course, George is about to start Eton – a really big moment for them as a family and I think there is a genuine wariness and concern amongst the Waleses and their aides, and indeed the King and Queen and their aides, that the Sussexes and the drama that inevitably follows anything and everything they do could overshadow the good work of the Royal Family, and I think people are mindful of that.”