I moved my kids from US like Meghan and Harry – I know exactly what’s driven them home and the problems they faced

SINCE The Sun dropped the bombshell news that Harry and Meghan are moving back to the UK, many have been left scratching their heads as to why the couple are leaving behind the American dream they risked everything to pursue. But not me. The couple have a home in the UK but the exact location is being kept under wraps Credit: Instagram Many have been left confused by Harry and Meghan’s decision to return to the UK – but not me Credit: Getty I wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear that Meghan and Harry were returning to these shores so little Archie and Lillibet could start school in England – I made the exact same decision for my children. Like Harry, I spent five very happy years living in America, in New York. My two sons were born there and so have American citizenship. But like Harry, just past the five-year mark I too felt a strong pull back across the pond, with schools being a major factor. We loved our time living in America, which really does feel like a land of opportunity and freedom in many ways. But I met so many British ex-pats in the States with young kids who got itchy feet around the five-year mark. Indeed many mum pals I had out there made the exodus to the UK at the same time. The familiarity, tradition and quality of the school system in Britain is a huge pull. American school kids famously don’t wear uniforms. There is just something faintly odd to a born and bred Brit about this year-round mufti day. The approach to learning in American schools is a bit too laid back for British tastes too. Harry and the kids during the summer holidays Credit: Instagram Harry is just past the five-year mark in the US Credit: Instagram In the past I have compared the reading books my kids have with friends who have children in the US system and have been surprised to see how British kids seem to move at a brisker pace. Indeed, it is widely acknowledged that whilst the American system has other strengths, the British system is more academic, structured and more advanced – particularly in the early years. Primary schools in Britain also tend to feel smaller, more community-based and more charming. And that is before you even get to the private sector – where Archie and Lili will undoubtedly land up. Manufacturing may be largely dead as a powerhouse export industry in Britain but our world-renowned private schools are still one of our most bankable economic and cultural assets. Wealthy elites from across the globe fall over themselves to send their beloved offspring to Britain’s famous public schools – which have become famous global brands in themselves. Everyone from Russian oligarchs to Saudi Princes, Chinese industrialists to Hollywood movie stars want to send their kids to school in one place…. Britain. It is a system Harry knows inside out having attended prestigious prep school Wetherby in London’s Notting Hill as a tot followed by boarding prep Ludgrove in Berkshire and then world-famous Eton College. Kids Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, will be enrolling at British schools Credit: Splash Caroline Iggulden understands why Harry and Meghan are making the move Credit: Darren Fletcher He clearly has a strong hankering for Archie to follow a not too dissimilar path. And it is easy to assume too that Meghan, like so many Americans before her, would be quite spellbound by the idea of Archie and Lillibet having a prestigious, Hogwarts-style school experience. Meghan has never tired of reminding us of her commitment to equality and social justice, not to mention the sense of deep persecution she suffered at the hands of the British ‘establishment’ and its stuffy traditions. Yet it seems, the slightest sniff of a bougie school blazer, short trouser and cute cap bearing a prestigious school badge has Meghan running straight back into the arms of her ermine-clad oppressors. Americans are also suckers for a British accent. They might set off fireworks on 4th July but if you are a Brit living in the US barely a day goes by without someone loudly gushing ‘Ohmygaaad I love your accent’. And I must admit, when my son, aged 4, started asking me for a ‘glaaaz of wader’ I swiftly began googling admission deadlines for British schools. Meghan and Harry will face plenty of criticism for moving back to Britain. But for me, at last, they are actually talking sense.