Baby Archie could become CANADIAN citizen as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go trans-Atlantic
BABY Archie could become a Canadian citizen after his parents Meghan Markle and Prince Harry quit the royal family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their bombshell decision to split their time between the UK and North America yesterday.
Harry and Meghan say they will become "financially independent" as they forge their own lifestyle away from the royals.
And the break with royal tradition could continue with little Archie, who has already been kept out of the spotlight in the hopes of giving him a "normal" upbringing.
The trans-Atlantic plan means the seven-month-old may even end up becoming a Canadian citizen.
Canada is part of the Commonwealth but Archie is a British citizen like his dad and will not automatically be granted citizenship.
But mum Meghan is still not a British citizen - despite marrying into the royal family and producing an heir to the throne.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
The former actress, who was born in America, began the process after her engagement was announced in November 2017 but it takes several years.
Becoming a Canadian citizen takes just as long - with some people living in the country full-time having to wait six years.
But Archie becoming a Canadian would save his parents a fortune in school fees if he shatters the history of royals attending British public schools - including is own dad, who attended Eton.
It is likely Archie will still attend a private school - with Canada boasting 91 independent establishments each steeped in history.
The sky-high fees can be reduced for domestic - rather than international - students.
One of the places Archie could attend is the £47,000-a-year Lakefield College School, which was home to Archie's great-uncle Prince Andrew in 1978 and visited in 1969 by Prince Philip.
It is around an hour-and-a-half drive from Toronto, where Meghan used to live, and boasts a modern theatre, music room, 12 boarding houses and an ice rink.
Archie could also attend the Hillfield Strathallan College in Ontario with fees of up to £18,710 for domestic students and £38,557 for international pupils.
SWAPPING POLO FOR HOCKEY
The school was originally a prep school for boys planning to enter the Royal Military College of Canada with many students ending up in the Canadian army - which could appeal to Harry's own military background.
If he goes to school in Canada, Archie could swap the royals' favourite sports of polo and rugby for baseball and ice hockey.
But the school year is mainly the same - with most children starting aged five or seven depending on the state.
Like the UK, Archie would start school in September and finish in June for the summer holidays.
'NORMAL LIFE'
Meghan and Harry are desperate for Archie to “normal” upbringing away from the spotlight.
Royal expert Angela Mollard revealed in October the couple wanted to give him childhood similar to that of Zara Tindall, who wasn't given a title.
She said: "He very much feels that he’s down that hierarchy from William, it should afford him the kind of life that Zara and Peter Phillips enjoyed.
“He’s looked at his cousins all these years and thought how smart it was that Princess Anne didn’t give her children titles.
"They’ve been allowed to grow up fairly normally, both Zara and Peter, and then their children, Mia and her little sister Lena, and Peter’s children, are just not in the limelight.
“I think that’s what he desperately wants for Archie.”
When Archie was born, Prince Harry and Meghan rejected him from having a title like cousins Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis.
Instead, he will simply be known as 'Master Archie' after Meghan and Harry decided not to give him one of the Duke of Sussex's lesser titles, the Earl of Dumbarton.
The couple also kept details of his birth private, hosted a private christening and kept his godparents anonymous.