Meghan and Harry are raising their two young children in California – and the Duchess previously revealed why she thought having a young family in the UK would have been difficult

Meghan and Kate are both parents to young children

Having left the Royal Family behind, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have set up home in Montecito with their two young children.

This year, their son Archie will start at school for the first time – something that would have been problematic had the family remained in the UK, according to Meghan. In August 2022, the Duchess opened up the doors of the family home for an interview with The Cut, during which she spoke about their life in the States.

In one extract, features writer Allison P. Davies notes: “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.

“‘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,’ Meghan says.” Royal fans have noted, however, that Meghan’s comments are at odds with William and Kate’s frequent appearances at their children’s school.

The Prince and Princess are known to drop off and pick up George, Charlotte, and Louis whenever their schedules and health allows, and fellow parents have said they are ”like a normal mum and dad” at Lambrook events. Princess Kate has taken a step back from royal duties during treatment for cancer, and she has prioritised recovering and spending time with her young children since announcing her health update earlier this year.

According to Hello! magazine, Kate and Wills, both 41, take part in all school activities and even ‘queued up’ ”for the tombola” in a fundraising drive. Sources noted in January that the day after Kate’s carol service at Westminster Abbey, it was the school Christmas fair and they were all there, as they were the previous year. ‘I saw them queueing up for tombola tickets like everyone else. They really act like a normal mum and dad,” the source said at the time.

George, Charlotte, and Louis are in Years Six, Four and One respectively at the Berkshire prep school. “They’re lovely kids,” the source noted. “Charlotte is so kind and friendly and the other children adore her. She’s kind to the kids in younger years and she’s very popular. George seems like a nice boy, too, and little Louis just has so much energy. If William and Kate ever can’t make a sports match, their nanny goes along and spends most of the time running around the edge of the pitch after Louis. He’s a typical little energetic five-year-old.”