Harry and Meghan’s decision to leave Britain behind and raise their children in the States didn’t sit well with the members of the British royalty. According to reports, this is especially true for their grandfather, King Charles, who has only seen Archie five times and Lilibet once since the family settled in California.
Growing up, King Charles didn’t get to spend much time with his parents, who were of course working royals with plenty of commitments, and that is one of the reasons he wants to be more heavily involved in the upbringing of his younger son’s children.
On June 5, Lili celebrated her third birthday. However, no members from her dad’s side of the family were in attendance. In fact, the sole person from the royal family who has ever visited the Sussexes in the States is Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie.
While Charles’ ties to Harry and Meghan remain strained, he feels “heartbroken” he doesn’t see more of Archie and Lili.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I: The Inside Story of the King and Our Late Queen, said Charles’ cancer diagnosis has made his relationship with Archie and Liiibet “all the more poigant,” as he realizes he “won’t be around forever,” while speaking to Mirror.
“Family has always been important to the King. He remembers his own somewhat fragmented childhood as his parents were always busy doing their duty. It is a great sadness to him he doesn’t see more of Archie and Lilibet,” Seward explained.
“That is why he will never break ties with Harry. He does not want a FaceTime relationship with his son’s children. He wants to know them and be involved with their lives while they are still young enough to be able to learn from his wisdom. His cancer has made it all the more poignant to him as he knows that he won’t be around forever.”
Archie and Lili, who were given the titles of Prince and Princess, which are their birth right, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth, are way to young to understand their father’s role within the monarchy. When they grow up, they would decided whether they would keep and use their titles, and whether they would return to the UK and even serve as working royals, a duty their mom and dad gave up on.
So far, what is known is that Meghan is against Archie attending school in the UK at some point due to safety concerns.
In a 2022 piece in The Cut, journalist Allison Davis recalled a conversation with Meghan Markle where she stated she wouldn’t want Archie to attend school in his father’s homeland.
“Earlier in our conversation about her goals for the life she’s creating here, she’d remarked upon how, if Archie were in school in the UK, she’d never be able to do school pickup and drop-off without it being a royal photo call with a press pen of 40 people snapping pictures,” Davis wrote.
Meghan told Allison: “Sorry, I have a problem with that. That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”
As Archie is about to attend kindergarten in the fall and Lili will attend preschool, Harry and Meghan are considering a school for their first born. Until they are old enough to begin their studies, include at least high-school or college, they would be attending schools nearby.
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