With news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving back to the UK, marking the biggest shift in their family dynamic yet, we're taking a closer look at their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who will be coming with them.
Almost one year to the day after their fairytale wedding at St George's Chapel in Windsor, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle introduced their firstborn, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world.
© WPA PoolThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex looked over the moon and totally in love with their new son as they greeted photographers at Windsor Castle. Just a few days later, the royal couple introduced their newborn to Their Late Majesties, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Fast forward to the summer of 2021, and Harry and Meghan became parents once again, welcoming baby Lilibet Diana in June of that year. Between Archie's birth and his becoming a big brother, the family moved from England to the US after the Duke and Duchess stepped down from their duties as senior working members of the royal family.
The family of four currently resides in Montecito, California, in a gorgeous mansion estimated to be worth around $30 million mark. Later this month, the couple will move with their children to the UK for an extended stay.
However, this decision will have no impact on their status within the Royal Family. It is thought that they will maintain their Montecito home but will establish "a private, non-royal home base in Britain" outside of London.
But still, less is known about little Archie, now aged seven, and Lilibet, five.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been selective about photographs and video footage they have shared of their two children, primarily sharing family photos on Instagram from their outings together. Royal followers have seen far less of the two children than of their cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, for example.
Prince Archie, seven
Prince Archie was born on 9 May 2019 at the Portland Hospital in London and is sixth in the line of succession to the British throne. Archie was not born with his royal title. Instead, Archie was born with the styling: Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
However, Archie could have used Harry's senior subsidiary title, the Earl of Dumbarton. At the time, it was reported that the Duke and Duchess had decided to opt away from the entitlement of a royal title. Meghan, however, then stated in a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey that she was told that changes would be made to remove said entitlement.
It wasn't until the late Queen Elizabeth II passed away and King Charles III's accession to the throne in September 2022 that Archie, as a child of the son of a monarch, became entitled to use the title 'Prince' and be styled as His Royal Highness. This was also granted to Lilibet Diana, who became Princess Lilibet in September 2022.
However, Harry and Meghan made another change regarding their children's names. The Times reported that the royal couple have adopted the Sussex surname for their children, meaning they go by Archie and Lilibet Sussex.
The publication reported that, since the Coronation, Harry and Meghan had chosen the surname for their family to 'unify' them, and that they have been using Sussex since King Charles' Coronation.
In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry wrote about his desire to have a "family, not an institution" and said how he hopes his children, despite their move overseas and strained relationship with the royal family, will have a connection to his relatives. "I would love nothing more than for our children to have relationships with members of my family, and they do with some, which brings me great joy," he penned. HELLO! can confirm that the King welcomes the opportunity to see more of Harry and his grandchildren upon their return to the UK.
© GettyThere haven't been many times where Prince Archie has been seen out and about with his parents, but the royals' Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, showed plenty of footage from the time when they first moved to the States.
Viewers saw plenty of videos of Archie playing football with his dad, with grandmother Doria Ragland and cooking in the kitchen with his mom, as well as singing along to some Elton John and playing musical instruments.
Royal fans perhaps saw Archie the most when he was a baby and joined Prince Harry and Meghan on their tour of South Africa in September 2019, just four months after his birth.
© NetflixDuring his Apple TV+ series, The Me You Can't See, it was also revealed that Archie has a photo of his late grandmother, Princess Diana, hanging in his nursery. It was also shared that his first words were "mama", "papa" and "crocodile."
Prince Harry shared this anecdote while addressing the crowd at the Invictus Games in 2022: "When I talk to my son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it's an astronaut, other days it's a pilot, a helicopter pilot obviously. But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, it's your character that matters most."
Princess Lilibet, five
Lilibet 'Lili' Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born on 4 June 2021. While her older brother was born in the UK, Lilibet was born in Santa Barbara, California.
The birth of their second child was different in many ways. There was no statement from the palace specifically to reveal the news, instead, Prince Harry and Meghan shared a statement on their Archewell Foundation website.
"On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we've felt from across the globe."
© NetflixRoyal fans will know that Lilibet is the nickname that Queen Elizabeth had as a child. The late monarch picked up the nickname in her younger years due to her difficulty pronouncing her full name, it's an affectionate name that stayed with her and was of huge sentimental value.
It was only used by a handful of people closest to the Queen; her parents King George VI and the Queen Mother, her late sister Princess Margaret, her husband Prince Philip and a few friends.
Prince Harry and Meghan's nod to his grandmother was a clear sign of his love and admiration for her.
© GettyIn 2024, it was stated in Robert Hardman's book, Charles III: New King, New Court, The Inside Story, that the Queen was unhappy about Harry and Meghan publicly stating that she was "supportive" of her childhood nickname being used for their second child.
There was speculation at the time about whether Harry and Meghan had sought permission from Her Majesty. A spokesperson for the couple insisted that they would not have used the name without her blessing.
However, the BBC said it had been told by a palace source that the Queen had not been asked. Meanwhile, other publications stated that when she was called by the couple, she did not feel in a position to say 'no'.
© Misan HarrimanRobert's book read: "Once again, it was a case of 'recollections may vary' - the late Queen's reaction to the Oprah Winfrey interview - as far as Her Majesty was concerned."
Away from the debate over the name, royal fans have seen the occasional glimpse of the five-year-old.
Lilibet's first birthday was timed perfectly with the celebrations around the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. It was during this time that the Sussexes travelled to the UK and introduced Lilibet to Her Late Majesty for the first time.
During a private birthday party at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor – their former home – the Sussexes released an official photograph of Lilibet playing on the grass. Since then, footage of the little one has been seen in their Netflix documentary and the occasional photograph of Lilibet with her parents.
© Instagram / @meghanHowever, the Sussexes generally keep their children away from the public gaze, choosing to keep themselves to themselves in Montecito.
For her fifth birthday this year, Harry and Meghan shared her big day with an Instagram post showing off their daughter's red hair, keeping her face covered.
What have Harry and Meghan said about more children?
As for whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will extend their family anytime soon, Harry put these claims to bed in 2021 during their interview with Oprah Winfrey.
After revealing Meghan – who was pregnant with Lilibet at the time – was expecting a girl, the proud dad said: "To have a boy and a girl, what more could you want?" He then insisted that two was enough and adamantly claimed the couple wouldn't have any more.
Protective parenting style
© CBSThe couple touched upon their fears about raising young children in the digital age as part of an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, in which they discussed the Archewell Foundation's initiative, The Parents' Network.
"Our kids are young. They're amazing. But all you want to do as parents is protect them," they said.
"We always talk about in the olden days if your kids were under your roof, you knew what they were up to; at least they were safe, right?" Harry explained. "And now, they could be in the next-door room on a tablet or on a phone and can be going down these rabbit holes. And before you know it, within 24 hours, they could be taking their life."
