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AMERICAN DREAM

Inside luxe lives of Harry & Meghan’s kids – private playground to Lilibet’s $100K birthday gift & billionaire godparent

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.

Harry and Meghan's kids Archie and Lilibet are already accustomed to living the lavish life
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Harry and Meghan's kids Archie and Lilibet are already accustomed to living the lavish lifeCredit: Alexi Lubomirski
They have had extravagant birthdays and are showered with expensive gifts from their parents' pals
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They have had extravagant birthdays and are showered with expensive gifts from their parents' palsCredit: netflix

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.

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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.

Billionaire filmmaker Tyler Perry is Lilibet's godfather after growing close to Harry and Meghan
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Billionaire filmmaker Tyler Perry is Lilibet's godfather after growing close to Harry and MeghanCredit: Getty
Tyler offered the couple his Beverly Hills home and provided security for them when they first moved to the States
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Tyler offered the couple his Beverly Hills home and provided security for them when they first moved to the States

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 .

Fancy education

Laguna Blanca School is said to be one of the possible schools Harry and Meghan may send their kids
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Laguna Blanca School is said to be one of the possible schools Harry and Meghan may send their kidsCredit: Instagram/@lagunablancaschool
Crane Country Day School has been mooted as another choice for the couple
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Crane Country Day School has been mooted as another choice for the coupleCredit: Instagram/@craneschool

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 , 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."

Sources speculate that Archie may be given an expensive education
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Sources speculate that Archie may be given an expensive educationCredit: netflix
Archie's nursery is said to teach subjects like emotional literacy
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Archie's nursery is said to teach subjects like emotional literacyCredit: Netflix

According to , 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

The couple traded Frogmore Cottage for a huge £11.5million mansion in Los Angeles
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The couple traded Frogmore Cottage for a huge £11.5million mansion in Los AngelesCredit: BackGrid
Archie's nursery in the home is said to have cost £25,000
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Archie's nursery in the home is said to have cost £25,000Credit: netflix
His cot is said to have been scanned for 10,000 chemicals
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His cot is said to have been scanned for 10,000 chemicalsCredit: Netflix

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

The couple threw Lilibet a lavish picnic party for her first birthday last year
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The couple threw Lilibet a lavish picnic party for her first birthday last yearCredit: Netflix
Meghan chose to stay back with their kids to celebrate Archie's fourth birthday
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Meghan chose to stay back with their kids to celebrate Archie's fourth birthdayCredit: netflix

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.

Although Archie has had low-key celebrations so far, it is believed future birthdays could be over the top like the ones in their neighbourhood
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Although Archie has had low-key celebrations so far, it is believed future birthdays could be over the top like the ones in their neighbourhoodCredit: Netflix
Archie received this gift from a local bike shop for his birthday
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Archie received this gift from a local bike shop for his birthdayCredit: Instagram/@maddogsbikeshop

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

Archie met Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town, South Africa when he was just four months old
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Archie met Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town, South Africa when he was just four months oldCredit: Getty Images - Getty

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.

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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."

Meghan shares an adorable snap with Lilibet in her nursery
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Meghan shares an adorable snap with Lilibet in her nurseryCredit: netflix
The couple have offered their kids the very best in life
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The couple have offered their kids the very best in lifeCredit: Netflix
Archie's godparents are no strangers to royal settings
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Archie's godparents are no strangers to royal settingsCredit: AFP
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