Prince Harry ‘Grateful’ to Be Raising Archie and Lilibet in the U.S.: ‘It’s the Life My Mom Wanted for Me’

“I very much enjoy living here and bringing my kids up here,” the Duke of Sussex said at ‘The New York Times’ DealBook Online Summit on Dec. 4

Prince Harry is putting down roots in the United States. 

On Dec. 4, the Duke of Sussex, 40, opened up about raising his two kids with wife, Meghan Markle, in the U.S. while in conversation with columnist and Dealbook founder Andrew Ross Sorkin at The New York Times DealBook Online Summit in New York City.

When Sorkin, 47, asked whether he wants to stay in the U.S., especially amid the concerns for his safety in the United Kingdom, Prince Harry said, “I do.”

He continued, “I very much enjoy living here and bringing my kids up here. It’s a part of my life that I never thought I was going to live.”

The Duke of Sussex added, “I feel as though it’s the life that my mom wanted for me. To be able to do the things I’m able to do with my kids that I undoubtedly wouldn’t be able to do in the U.K. — it’s huge. That is a fantastic opportunity and I’m hugely grateful for that.”

Prince Harry and Meghan, 43, share two children, son Prince Archie, 5, and daughter, Princess Lilibet, 3, whom they are raising in Montecito, Calif. 

PEOPLE previously reported that Prince Harry officially changed his listed country of residence on paperwork from the U.K. to the U.S. in 2023, following his move to California with his wife in 2020 after they stepped back from their royal duties.

Around the same time, the Keeper of the Privy Purse announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had “vacated” their Frogmore Cottage in the U.K. in Windsor after being asked to leave the residence. 

During the summit, Prince Harry also spoke about disinformation in the media and related it to his late mother’s past experience. “I’ve seen stories written about myself not exactly based in reality, he said at the event. “When you grow up with that environment, you find yourself questioning the validity of the information, but also what other people are thinking as well, and how dangerous it can be over the course of time.”

“I think again, when you are kind of trapped within this bubble, it kind of feels like there’s no way out,” he added. “What happened to my mom and the fact that I was a kid and felt helpless, there comes the inner turmoil. I felt helpless. One of my biggest weaknesses is feeling helpless.”

Prince Harry continued to express fear that the culture would affect his family, saying, “What worried me most was worrying that would happen to me, or to my wife, or to my kids.”

The event had a starry lineup with other mainstage interviews including Jeff Bezos, Bill Clinton, Alex Cooper, Serena Williams, Open AI co-founder Sam Altman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

Meghan previously participated in the summit in November 2021. 

The Duchess of Sussex recently opened up about her love for spending the holidays with her family in an interview with Marie Claire, during which she noted that “every year it gets better.”

“At first, I think as a mom with children you’re just enjoying having them there, but they’re not understanding everything that’s happening yet,” she said. “But now we’re at the age where I just can’t wait to see it through their lens every year.”