In an interview with GQ<\/a> that was filmed in September but only recently released, Harry, 42, explained that the opportunity to enrol his children in British schools was particularly meaningful to him.<\/p>\n \u201cOpportunities for the family, being able to put the kids in a British school has meant a lot to me. I didn\u2019t know how important it was to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI always thought it was gonna be something that I would try and do or that we would try and do, but now they\u2019ve been in school for two weeks. They\u2019re loving it, and it\u2019s just giving them a whole different experience.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE: \u2018Useless\u2019: Harry\u2019s secret crisis after royal exit<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018Oh I don\u2019t know\u2019: Harry\u2019s update on UK move<\/a><\/p>\n Shock as Harry, Meghan \u2018disappear overnight\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Prince Harry is opening up about why he and Meghan Markle decided to leave California behind and relocate their family to the UK. Picture: Mark Cuthbert\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Harry emphasised that his decision was not a criticism of the American education system, but rather an opportunity for Archie and Lilibet to experience life in two different countries.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019m not criticising American schools, 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,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Beyond their education, Harry said returning to Britain has allowed his children to spend more time with relatives and develop closer relationships with family friends.<\/p>\n Another motivation for the move, he explained, was to \u201cbe back closer to my family and to be back on UK soil for longer than a few days or a week here or there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s 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, like, help our kids settle in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Despite the significance of the relocation, Harry admitted that he and Meghan, 45, had not necessarily mapped out the move years in advance.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, when certain stars align, and it\u2019s clear that this should or probably will end up being the case, then we lean into that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n After spending six years living in California, the Duke said he increasingly wanted his children to become familiar with the country where he spent his own childhood.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that having been here for six years now and only being able to go back to the UK for short periods of time, 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 \u2014 the good rather than necessarily the bad \u2014 provided real, proper, serious thinking as to, \u2018This is an opportunity, let\u2019s do it now,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Harry also addressed his complicated history with the British press, expressing hope that his family\u2019s return could mark the beginning of a more positive chapter.<\/p>\n \u201cI think once you\u2019ve been through it, once you\u2019ve been able to talk about it and raise awareness to it, then people see it for what it is, which makes the environment slightly easier,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s not going to necessarily stop the behaviour, but then that\u2019s the second part, which is the behaviour: My hope is that it will change.\u201d<\/p>\n The Duke acknowledged that tensions have persisted in the years since he and Meghan stepped back from their roles as senior working royals, but suggested he would welcome an opportunity to move forward.<\/p>\n The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who moved to the UK in August with their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have been settling into their new lives across the pond. Picture: Instagram<\/p>\n In an interview with GQ that was filmed in September but only recently released, Harry, 42, explained that the opportunity to enrol his children in British schools was particularly meaningful to him. Picture: Instagram<\/p>\n In an interview with GQ that was filmed in September but only recently released, Harry, 42, explained that the opportunity to enrol his children in British schools was particularly meaningful to him. Picture: Instagram<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened back then was then, what\u2019s happened over the last six years has been a continuation of that. There are some battles that have been fought, necessarily so. But hopefully we can all draw a line under that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He added that he hopes both his family and the British media can put certain disputes behind them.<\/p>\n \u201cI am optimistic. I\u2019m hopeful,\u201d Harry said. \u201cI\u2019m not naive. I have been naive in the past. But I think it\u2019s important to remain optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n The interview surfaced just days after Harry and Meghan made their first official joint appearance in the UK since their relocation.<\/p>\n On Oct. 15, the couple travelled to Nottingham, England, where they greeted approximately 100 people during a public engagement.<\/p>\n The pair also spent time interacting with local schoolchildren, crouching down to speak with them. Meghan was presented with flowers and a balloon during the visit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to be back,\u201d she told one person.<\/p>\n The warm welcome was filled with several special moments, including one that saw the crowd shouting, \u201cI love you Duchess Meghan.\u201d<\/p>\n The appearance marked their return to a city that played an important role in their early relationship, having served as the location of their first official joint engagement following their November 2017 engagement announcement.<\/p>\n Their outing came days after it was reported that they were turning their attention to their professional and charitable commitments after spending their first several weeks in Britain adjusting to their new surroundings.<\/p>\n Their latest chapter comes more than six years after the couple stepped away from their roles as working members of the royal family and established a new life in North America.<\/p>\n The visit came as an insider close to the couple told People that Harry and Meghan are eager to devote more attention to their philanthropic endeavours, having initially concentrated on helping their children adapt to living in a new country.<\/p>\n Their transition has not been without complications.<\/p>\n According to the outlet, Archie and Lilibet were forced to change schools just two days into the academic year due to security and logistical concerns surrounding their commute.<\/p>\n However, the children have reportedly adapted to their new environment, allowing their parents to devote additional time to commitments outside the family home.<\/p>\n Harry emphasised that his decision was not a criticism of the American education system, but rather an opportunity for Archie and Lilibet to experience life in two different countries. Picture: Tayfun Coskun\/Anadolu via Getty Images<\/p>\n Despite the significance of the relocation, Harry admitted that he and Meghan, 45, had not necessarily mapped out the move years in advance. Picture: Instagram\/Meghan Markle<\/p>\n After spending six years living in California, the Duke said he increasingly wanted his children to become familiar with the country where he spent his own childhood. Picture: Ronald Martinez\/Getty Images<\/p>\n A source told People that Harry and Meghan have established a schedule centred around their children\u2019s school hours, while continuing to prioritise spending time together as a family.<\/p>\n The couple\u2019s apparent enthusiasm for their latest chapter comes shortly after Harry reflected on the difficulties he experienced when he and Meghan first left Britain.<\/p>\n The Duke of Sussex previously revealed that he experienced depression for approximately two weeks after moving to Canada with Meghan and Archie.<\/p>\n Harry and Meghan spent time in Canada before announcing in January 2020 that they intended to step away from their senior royal responsibilities.<\/p>\n They eventually relocated to California, where they purchased a sprawling Montecito mansion for $US14.65 million ($A20.9 million) in 2020.<\/p>\n The property became the family\u2019s primary residence as they established lives outside the monarchy, with Meghan pursuing business ventures and Harry continuing his charitable work.<\/p>\n However, their decision to return to Britain has brought another significant change to their living arrangements.<\/p>\n Although Harry and Meghan have returned to the UK, they have reportedly decided to retain their Montecito mansion rather than sever their residential ties to California.<\/p>\n In the meantime, the family has reportedly been staying at a friend\u2019s mansion in the Cotswolds while exploring their options.<\/p>\n Their return to Britain doesn\u2019t mean they have completely cut ties with California. The couple will reportedly hold on to their Montecito property while establishing a private residence in the UK<\/p>\n Markle is said to be hoping to re-create the lavish lifestyle the couple enjoyed in California, with their potential new property mirroring their sprawling Montecito mansion in more ways than one.<\/p>\n The duchess reportedly wants the UK residence to boast nine bedrooms \u2014 the same number as their California estate \u2014 as well as plenty of luxurious amenities.<\/p>\n Parts of this story first appeared in Realtor<\/a> and was republished with permission.<\/p>\n MORE: \u2018NDA signed\u2019: Harry, Meg cuts all ties with US<\/a><\/p>\n King\u2019s shock act after Harry eviction fallout<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018Final straw\u2019: Meghan, Harry quit UK over gift<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prince Harry is opening up about why he and Meghan Markle decided to leave California behind and relocate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":935580,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[64,63,447,134],"class_list":["post-935579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/935580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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