I’ve done what I swore I’d never do and let “military speak” slip into the real world when I saw Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s move to the UK announced. I texted a friend:
“Did you see the Sussexes are PCS’ing back to England?”
For those who keep less abreast of the non-working royals than, say, me (a lifelong Anglophile), here’s the tldr: Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have relocated to a private UK residence from California on August 26, after a controversial and dramatic exit from royal life in 2020. Their children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, start British school in September.
An interesting little detail: King Charles was reportedly told just days before it hit the press — which, if “The Crown” and Harry’s “Spare” have taught us anything, suggests the “leaked” announcement came from the couple themselves, feeding it as “sources close to the family” in the kind of 3D chess the Royal Family plays with the public and each other.
The quick turnaround had me thinking about military families operating the same way: aware that orders may be coming, perhaps elbow-deep in negotiating a follow-on duty station, but sharing nothing until it’s official. Extended family gets the news when everyone else does, and there’s always some aunt who is irate to learn of it from Facebook rather than a personalized update.
While the general population may be flabbergasted by the Sussexes’ short timeline — a new country, weeks before a new school year, grandparents caught unaware — the flabbers of military families remain entirely ungasted. No firm housing plan, a time zone change, young kids thrown into the deep end? These headlines have us saying, “Hold my tiara.”
So if you’ve got a short-notice overseas PCS on the horizon and no Netflix deal bankrolling the balm to your shattered Montecito dreams, here are some tips.
Pack your Unaccompanied Baggage (UAB) like you’re urban camping
Clothes, hangers, laundry baskets — enough that you’re not living out of a duffel bag for two months. Actual voltage converters (not just plug adapters) for anything that isn’t dual-voltage, plus a streaming stick, eReader or something for entertainment once the kids are asleep. Basic kitchen essentials, bedding, towels, an extension cord and power strip, and your go-to over-the-counter meds. For the kids: favorite toys, games, lovies and school supplies if you’re enrolling before your HHG shows up. You get 2,000 pounds, per JTR par. 051403 (I looked it up so you don’t have to!), so load it up.
Hand-carry the irreplaceable stuff
Orders, passports, medical records, birth certificates, powers of attorney, prescriptions, laptops, pro-gear, fine jewelry, photo albums, needlepointed Christmas stockings… if losing it would lead to tears, frantic phone calls and/or stacks of paperwork, it goes in your carry-on.
Photograph everything before it disappears into the void
Large frames, mirrors, buffet table, treasured dishes, silver, bed frame, and even your collection of Hemnes dressers… every item you can honestly say “well, it was in ‘like new’ condition when we packed it.” You’ll thank yourself when filing a claim for the Bordallo Pinheiro cabbageware that didn’t survive a crossing your Sussex counterparts will never think about.
Fight the mold before it fights you
Double-bag anything porous, throw silica packets in every tub, vacuum seal what you can — from stuffed animals to winter coats. Somewhere between customs and your new duty station, the chances of water finding your items is high.
Have realistic “First Day of School!” expectations
Archie and Lilibet flew private to their dad’s old home turf where the national language is their own, with weeks to spare before term. You’ll get a lending closet (if you’re lucky), a sponsor who may remember you’re flying in, and a “one room” hotel rated for six people that has one bed (not in the romance-novel trope way). However you pull off Day One of school, it’ll be just fine! Kids mostly take their cue from you.
Remember: someone has done this before
Unlike the Duke and Duchess, who are admittedly adrift in uncharted territory, your overseas PCS is not a wheel that needs reinventing. Seek out spouse Facebook pages, find your command’s Ombudsman or SFRG leader — there are kind people where you’re headed, eager to pay it forward with advice, lend an air mattress, and drop off art supplies for your jet-lagged kids if you just allow them the opportunity.
Enjoy the adventure — it will be mint!
