Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were slammed after they reportedly starting looking into “outrageously” expensive schools for their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
The couple are said to be checking out select schools in Montecito, the luxurious California area where they reside. Sending their children to elite schools comes with a hefty price tag, with one campus they are considering reportedly costing over $40,000 per year.
Royal commentator Lee Cohen criticized the Duke and Duchess’ parenting decision, saying “their supposed commitment to progressive causes is nothing but a facade.”
“It’s utterly infuriating to hear that Harry and Meghan, the self-proclaimed champions of equality and social justice, are even contemplating enrolling their children in an exclusive, outrageously expensive school,” he said in a statement to the GB News on June 6. “Yet they’re willing to pay staggering tens of thousands per year for their children’s education. How can they possibly justify this when so many families struggle to afford even the basic necessities?”
The commentator called Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, “frauds” for considering sending their kids, Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3, to institutions that “perpetuate the very systems of privilege that they claim to expose.”
Nevertheless, some swiftly came to the couple’s defense, using X as a platform to share their opinions. “Education is a priority for Meghan and Harry,” one user tweeted. Meanwhile, another added, “No one should begrudge Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan choosing a school where they can feel Prince Archie is the safest possible setting.”
Both Harry and Meghan attended private schools for their education. Harry studied at Ludgrove prep school in Wokingham, England before joining his older brother Prince William at Eton College. Eton College is internationally renowned for its prestige, counting numerous future Prime Ministers among its graduates.
Meanwhile, Meghan attended Immaculate Heart High School, a private Catholic school in Los Angeles with notable alumni such as Lucille Ball, Tyra Banks, and Dakota Johnson.
Royals author Tom Quinn said the pair’s chief concern in choosing a school for their children was safety and that it would probably heavily influence their decision-making process.
“The only thing I’ve heard, because of Meghan’s background working in the kind of Hollywood world, he would be going to a very exclusive school, where the children of other celebrities go,” Quinn told The Express on January 6. “I just think Meghan feels comfortable with people who, that’s why she’s living there, like rockstars, their children always go to school together. And famous actors, their children go to school together.”