Prince Harry’s push to give Archie, Lilibet royal upbringing exposes ‘contradiction’ after palace exit: expert - Fox News

British royals expert Hillary Fordwich says Prince Harry is showing signs he wants his children to embrace their English heritage and family roots.

Prince Harry wants his children to embrace their British roots and royal heritage, but one expert says there's a glaring "contradiction."

"Harry spent years telling us why he needed to escape royal life, said his father and brother were trapped, but now appears determined to make sure his children understand and retain their connection to it," Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube's "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital.

"Perhaps with time and distance, he has realized that walking away from royal duties was much easier than walking away from the history, family and identity that came with them," Schofield said. "Ultimately, Harry may finally be recognizing what has always seemed so obvious to the rest of us — being born a prince is an unbelievable privilege."

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the ESPY Awards on July 11, 2024, in Hollywood, California. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have relocated to the U.K. and are eager to teach their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, about their British roots. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for W+P)

On Aug. 20, it was announced that Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, had decided to return to the U.K. for an extended stay beginning this fall, but they would not resume their roles as working royals. Their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, recently started school in England.

A source told People magazine that Harry "wants them to understand the world he grew up in and where their family comes from." Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell, which handles the offices of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for comment.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose with their newborn baby son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in St. George's Hall at Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London, on May 8, 2019. (Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

"It is totally understandable that Harry wants Archie and Lilibet to grow up appreciating their British heritage, traditions and knowing their extended family," British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. "But after all he has said and done, it's highly unlikely the family will ever trust Harry or welcome them all back into the family fold."

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"It would have been surprising if he felt California was like home or in any way comparable to anything his children could experience in the U.K.," Fordwich argued. "He has expressed wanting his children to understand their paternal history."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as working royals and moved to California more than six years ago. They later signed lucrative contracts with Netflix and Spotify as they sought to become financially independent.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Nicole Avant, and Ted Sarandos attend Netflix's BEEF season 2 Montecito Tastemaker at a private residence on April 10, 2026, in Montecito, California. (Stefanie Keenan)

In a series of interviews and Harry's memoir "Spare," the couple said they left Britain to escape the restrictions of royal life and criticized palace officials for being insensitive to Meghan's mental health while alleging that at least one member of the royal family had expressed racist views when she was pregnant with their first child. Meghan, a former actress, is biracial.

Prince Harry's book "Spare" is displayed in a bookstore on Dec. 16, 2023, in Bath, England. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Although relations with some members of the royal family have soured since then, Harry told the BBC in 2025 that he wanted to reconcile with his family. In the same interview, however, Harry said he could not envision bringing Meghan and their children back to the U.K. because of concerns over their security. His father, King Charles III, continues to receive treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.

"Harry and Meghan want their children to build close relationships with their cousins, in fact, the whole British royal family," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.