Prince Harry Eyes Eton Future for Son Archie as Experts Insist Royal Child 'Needs to Grow Up British'
Prince Harry's son, Archie, is enrolling in the British school system.
Sept. 2 2026, Published 2:15 p.m. ET
may have a strong motive for enrolling his son Archie in the U.K. private school system at such a young age, giving the youngster crucial time to get on the right academic track for a coveted place at Eton College when he turns 13, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Harry, 41, is himself an Eton alum, as is his older brother, Prince William. Another future king, William's son Prince George, is set to continue the royal tradition when he arrives for his first day of boarding at the elite prep school on September 8.
Prince Harry's Kids 'Need to Grow Up British' to Blend Into Royal Family
Prince Harry's kids have grown up in the U.S. and had no ties to the United Kingdom.
Eton alum and royal expert Tom Sykes discussed the situation with his sister, British Vogue writer Plum Sykes, on the Tuesday, September 1 episode of The Royalist podcast.
Plum pointed out that potential Eton students need to get their ducks in a row at the right British schools at 7-year-old Archie's age, which may explain why Harry finally pulled the trigger on moving home to England after six years in the U.S. with his wife, Meghan Markle.
She explained about Archie and his sister Lilibet, 5, "If they are prince and princess, they kind of need to grow up British, and they kind of need to be in the British school system if they're going to grow up British because it is too difficult to move a child at, say, 10 into the British school system because it's so unique to itself."
Archie at the 'Right Age' to Get Into the 'Pipeline' for Eton
Boys hoping to attend Eton need to get into the 'pipeline' six years before they turn 13.
"So, if you move from the American system to the British system at 10 or 11, you're giving a child a problem," Plum noted about the differences in the two countries' education systems.
Referring to Archie, she noted, "He's coming up to that critical prep school age, which is seven, eight. That's when you get in the pipeline for, drum roll please, Eton. It starts at seven or eight."
Plum added, "You have got to go to the correct feeder school for Eton. Harry went to Eton. He liked Eton. I cannot imagine that there would be any other school they would rather send their son to than Eton."
Prince Harry Wanted Kids to Go to School in Britain
Queen Elizabeth ll attended Eton College to mark the 150th anniversary of the school in 2010.
Tom agreed that Archie would likely end up at Eton, and even reported in 2025 that it was Harry's grand plan. Still, the Duke of Sussex denied it at the time, as he and Markle were trying to make it in the U.S. with their former Netflix deal.
Now that the Sussexes have moved back to the U.K. years after 2020's Megxit, a proper British education is reportedly one of the motivating factors for Harry and his children.
Eton College Is 'Well Guarded' and 'Incredibly Secure'
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For security-fixated Prince Harry, Eton's 'well guarded' campus is an attractive plus.
"Think that he probably will end up at Eton," he said of Archie's future. "And largely because it's one of the few schools that can handle the kind of security implications, because every other kid there is a kid of a billionaire."
"So it's incredibly well guarded. It's incredibly secure," Tom pointed out.
