Prince George, 13, is expected to begin his first term at Eton College on September 8. The timing overlaps with Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's return to the United Kingdom with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, after six years away. For Prince William and Princess Kate, managing both developments at once has drawn concern from multiple royal commentators.
The Wales family had reportedly spent what Kinsey Schofield, a royal commentator, described to Fox News Digital as "their last Scottish summer holiday together" before George leaves home. Schofield's concern centers on the unpredictability the Sussexes' return introduces. "Harry and Meghan have a history of making their own plans, generating enormous media attention and operating outside the traditional royal structure," she said. "Now William and Catherine are sending their eldest child away from home for the first time while simultaneously having to navigate the Sussexes' return and all of the uncertainty surrounding it."
The reported agreement and its limits
Royal broadcaster Neil Sean previously told Fox News Digital that Harry and Meghan have assured King Charles they will not issue statements or release photographs on the day George begins school. When approached on that report, an Archewell representative responded: "This is not something we would comment on."
Royal commentator Amanda Matta described George's Eton start as the opening of his public-facing path as heir to the throne, putting additional pressure on keeping the coverage clean. Any competing headline, Matta argued, threatens the image William and Kate have built carefully over years.
Richard Fitzwilliams, also a royal commentator, told Fox News Digital that the Palace has historically struggled to respond to unexpected developments from the Sussexes. "The Palace is not at its best reacting to the unexpected, and the Sussexes know that," he said. Fitzwilliams noted the couple arrived in Britain by private jet and said Harry reportedly still seeks an apology, alongside unresolved questions about security arrangements.
The nature of the Sussexes' return remains ambiguous. Schofield described it as "a trial run rather than a definitive homecoming," and British broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that Meghan's ties remain primarily in the United States: "Her heart is in the U.S., not the U.K." Fitzwilliams said the couple reportedly sees itself as "international citizens," balancing commercial activity across countries. Schofield's read: they want "access to Britain, proximity to the monarchy and the credibility that comes with Harry's royal identity, while maintaining the freedom and commercial opportunities they associate with life outside the U.K." George's term at Eton is expected to begin September 8.