THEIR parents may have stepped back from life as working royals, but Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten Windsor still enjoy a life of luxury.
From living in a magnificent mansion to being showered with expensive gifts, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s kids are living the American dream.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have given fans glimpses of their incredible upbringing in their Netflix shows. Here we take a look inside their lavish lives.
Billionaire godparent
Archie, four, was born in 2019 and had his extended family there to witness his christening, including his grandfather King Charles.
His godparents are no strangers to royal settings – they are Prince Harry’s nanny Tigger Pettifer and his close friends Mark Dyer and Charlie von Straubenzee.
Lillibet, on the other hand, has a world-famous filmmaker as a godparent in Tyler Perry, although high-profile members of the Royal Family didn’t attend her christening.
Madea actor Tyler, worth an estimated $1billion, grew close to Harry and Meghan after he reached out to the duchess following news of her estrangement from her dad Thomas Markle.
In their self-titled Netflix docuseries, Tyler recounts: “I immediately empathised with her. This was before the wedding…
“I sent her a note just praying for her to just be able to move through it, and to hold on, and that everything in her life has prepared her for this moment, or so I thought.”
Years down the line Tyler offered the couple his £14.1million Beverly Hills mansion and even provided security for them when they chose to leave the UK.
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In their documentary, Tyler recalled when the couple asked him to be Lilibet’s godfather.
He said: “I had to take a minute to take that in. And I thought, ‘I’d be honoured. I’d absolutely be honoured’.”
Harry and Meghan held a party after Lilibet’s home baptism which Tyler attended, reports Mail Online.
Fancy education
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As with many royal children, only the best education will do – but Harry and Meghan reportedly chose to send Archie to a non-traditional PreK nursery school.
According to the Mirror, it has small classes, teaches ‘new age’ subjects like emotional literacy, sustainability and mindfulness, and well as lessons in Spanish, theatre and coding, and is big on the environment.
Its gardens have fruit trees, butterflies, bees and hummingbirds, with students helping to grow and harvest vegetables – tying in nicely with the couple’s environmental beliefs.
A parent of one of Archie’s classmates is quoted to have said: “Harry often drops Archie off and picks him up, and seems like a good dad.
“All the parents have been laidback in welcoming Harry and Meghan, without making a fuss. And to the other kids, Archie is just one of them.”
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According to Hello!, when the kids are old enough, Harry and Meghan have the option to choose from two private schools near their Montecito home that charge over $30,000 in tuition.
Laguna Blanca, which has been open since 1933, is known for its success rate – according to the school, 100 per cent of graduates go on to university.
Although the fees are up to an eye-watering $31,950, it is believed that kids there receive an exceptional education.
Crane Country School is the other option close to the Sussexes. It is believed to be where many elite parents, including A-List stars in the area, send their kids.
With a reported average class size of 15 pupils, the school is said to have a ratio of seven students to one teacher. Just like Laguna Blanca, fees are said to be up to $31,950.
Mega mansion with private playground
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When the couple left the UK they traded Frogmore Cottage for a £11.5million mansion in Montecito, Los Angeles.
The home is nothing short of breath-taking and has nine bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, a movie theatre, arcade and spa.
Outside there’s a tennis court, outdoor pool and a private playground for Archie and Lilibet.
It also has sweeping lawns, tiered rose gardens, and tall Italian cypress trees – it is thought to have doubled in value since the family moved in.
The home is in a super exclusive neighbourhood in Santa Barbara with famous neighbours including Ellen Degeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Ariana Grande, and Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom.
Decadent birthdays and gifts
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Lilibet’s first birthday party coincided with her parents’ visit to the UK for her great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth’s, Platinum Jubilee in June last year.
The couple went all out with a picnic at Frogmore Cottage. Footage from the party shows an elaborate birthday cake ordered for the festivities, made by the same company which baked their wedding cake.
It is thought close family and friends were there to enjoy activities like face painting.
To mark the occasion, Meghan and Harry worked with the charity World Central Kitchen, which provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises.
According to reports, guests in attendance made donations amounting to more than $100,000 to benefit the charity.
The children are often showered with gifts from the couple’s wealthy pals – for his first birthday Archie received a £200 Tiffany bubble blower from Meghan’s close friend Priyanka Chopra.
Archie recently received a customised bike from a local shop called Mad Dogs & Englishmen Bike. The company shared the sweet note of thanks they received from Harry and Meghan.
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Royal commentator Ingrid Seward previously told The Sun: “The insistence on normality is never an easy objective for members of the Royal Family to achieve.
“Archie’s parents have rich friends who are going to lavish him with expensive gifts. He won’t be wearing clothes from Primark, that’s for sure.”
Archie and Lilibet’s future birthday dos could be much more extravagant as their neighbourhood is famous for throwing elaborate kids’ parties.
According to Leesa Zelken, founder of LA-based party planner Send in the Clowns, people living in Montecito spend huge money on over-the-top parties.
International travel
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Harry and Meghan jet all over the world for their work – in 2019, when they were still working royals, four-month-old Archie accompanied them on a trip to South Africa.
There he even met the late anti-apartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who kissed his forehead.
Meghan said at the time: “I think Archie will look back at that in so many years and understand that right at the beginning of his life he was fortunate enough to have this moment with one of the best and most impactful leaders of our times.”
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