4 Things Archie and Lilibet Won't Be Allowed to Do on UK Return That George, Charlotte and Louis Can

With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly returning to the UK, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will be starting school in the UK. According to several outlets, they have been enrolled in a British school and will be starting their classes in September. However, just because they are moving to the UK does not mean they will have the same privileges as their royal cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Archie and Lilibet’s return to the UK might bring them closer to the Royal Family again, but it will not necessarily bring them closer to the monarchy’s public life. George, Charlotte and Louis have already had a front-row seat to royal life, appearing alongside their parents at major occasions such as Trooping the Colour and, more recently, the Commonwealth Games. However, the Sussex children are coming back as the children of Harry and Meghan, who remain non-working royals. So while Archie and Lilibet could be living much closer to their royal relatives, they will most likely not be seen with the royal family at official engagements and state duties.

Being called Prince or Princess may sound like a direct ticket into royal life, but it does not work that way. Archie and Lilibet can have their royal titles and remain in the line of succession without taking on the public duties that come with being a working royal. Their cousins George, Charlotte and Louis, meanwhile, are already being groomed for royal roles as the children of the future King. So when Archie and Lilibet return to Britain, their titles will follow them, but a royal job will not necessarily come with them.

For Archie and Lilibet, a move back to Britain also brings their parents’ long-running security worries back into the picture. Harry lost his publicly funded police protection after stepping down as a working royal, and his attempt to reverse that decision was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, George, Charlotte and Louis are growing up in the household of the future King, so their circumstances are not quite the same. One thing is clear: Archie and Lilibet's titles alone do not guarantee them the same protection as their Wales cousins.

One of the less obvious differences between the cousins is where they actually get to call home. George, Charlotte and Louis are growing up at Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, where William and Kate have a 20-year lease with the Crown Estate. Archie and Lilibet's situation is different, as their parents are expected to live privately rather than have a royal residence assigned to them. Unless King Charles decides to offer them a royal residence in the future, Archie and Lilibet will have to live in a private home.