Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have long maintained their desire to keep their kids outside the spotlight, so it shouldn’t be surprising that we don’t see much of them. However, every once in a while, the Sussexes share tiny glimpses into the lives of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet — on their own terms.
Though Prince Archie was whisked away from the United Kingdom back in 2020, in the months leading up to the family’s contentious exit, he was seen on a number of occasions. In addition to a photocall two days after his birth, his official christening pictures were shared with the press two months later, giving a clearer view of the two-month-old royal. Just days after that, he was seen again, this time at a polo match alongside his parents, Kate Middleton, and his cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
However, it was on his parents’ tour to South Africa that he really had his moment. Archie, then still known as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, as Harry and Meghan had turned down the title offer of Earl of Dumbarton — famously tagged along when the couple met the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town. A number of pictures were released of the then-four-month-old, as well as one shared on the Sussex’s Instagram. The post’s caption began, “Arch meets Archie!” It was just weeks later that ITV released clips from “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey,” in which the couple spoke for the first time about how difficult their lives had become in the public eye. From then onwards, there was a clear shift in the Sussexes’ policy, and pictures of their son (and later, their daughter) became more strictly controlled.
We got a glimpse of Archie and Harry in Canada
Between his parents’ first televised admission that they were struggling to deal with the pressures of royal life and their eventual exit from the U.K., Prince Archie was scarcely seen. However, that’s not to say he wasn’t seen at all. On the contrary, in an Instagram post looking back on 2019, the couple shared a snap of one adorable moment with the youngster.
As seen in the picture (which was used as the cover for a compilation of different clips), Prince Harry beamed at his son as he held him. The picture was presumably taken during the Sussexes’ vacation to Vancouver Island in November 2019, with the father and son bundled up for icy weather. Both of them donned thick jackets and beanies — but let’s just say Archie’s was a little more memorable. After all, two pompoms on either side made him look like a baby bear. Now would be the time to coo, “Ahw.”
Notably, that was the only picture shared of Archie during his first holiday season, with the Sussexes not sharing a Christmas card that year. What’s more, his parents didn’t join in for Christmas festivities at Sandringham. It’s likely Harry and Meghan Markle were concerned about rumors that their absence had something to do with the tension between them and the then-Cambridges, as in their announcement that they wouldn’t be at Sandringham, they included a line alluding to the now-Prince and Princess of Wales not always being part of royal celebrations. “This decision is in line with precedent previously set by other members of the royal family and has the support of Her Majesty the Queen,” a representative from Buckingham Palace told the press. Years later, we’re still yikes-ing.
Archie appeared in a video for Save the Children
A few months after leaving the United Kingdom, Prince Archie made his first reappearance. In a video shared on his first birthday, Meghan Markle read to him. Of course, it wasn’t just a birthday video but part of a campaign for Save the Children’s “Save with Stories” initiative.
In the video, Archie wriggled as his mom read to him and got involved in the process, too, reaching to flip pages over from time to time. The little one also went through all the emotions on camera, from a little cry of frustration, to intense concentration, to glee, to a sudden desire to move swiftly along to the next book — and then to a desire to throw said next book on the floor. The last one saw Meghan look up at Prince Harry (who was presumably making the video) in mock resignation before laughing at their firstborn’s antics. In a word, it was a whirlwind. Even so, it offered viewers an adorable, authentic glimpse into the family’s life outside the royal family and during the pandemic.
Granted, there was at least one detail to remind the world that Archie was not just a normal one-year-old. The book his mom read to him had been gifted to him by none other than Oprah Winfrey. Speaking to Access Hollywood even before Archie was born, Winfrey had already spoken about gifting him “enough books to last a lifetime” (via Oprah Daily). Well, now it makes sense that he was so eager to get onto the next one!
Black-and-white pics of Archie were released in 2021
Speaking of Oprah Winfrey, some will remember that when his parents were interviewed by the media mogul in 2021, they shared a video of a family outing on the beach. The black-and-white clip saw Prince Archie being picked up by his mom before running between his dad’s legs as the Duke of Sussex filmed the excursion. Like the video for Save the Children, it was an extremely rare yet down-to-earth clip. That wasn’t all, though. The day after the interview aired, a portrait of Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Archie was shared on photographer Misan Harriman’s Instagram. Again, it was a down-to-earth pic. And, again, it was black and white.
It’s likely the black-and-white images of Archie were used in a bid to prevent too many identifying features from being shared with the world. Of course, we’re referring to his distinctive hair color. In previous pictures and videos of the youngster, Archie’s hair had been wispy, and the color was not quite as noticeable. However, as we now know, Archie takes after his dad in the hair department. Harry has even poked fun at just how red his hair was, joking on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” that “the ginger gene is a strong one.”
With all that in mind, it’s clear that while the Sussexes were fine sharing a few peeks into their little boy’s life, they remained committed to making sure Archie grew up in total privacy.
Lilibet first appeared publicly in the family’s Christmas card
While it was a little outside of the royal norm for Prince Archie’s first photocall to take place days after his birth, that brief wait was nothing compared to the public’s first view of his sister. Though Princess Lilibet was born in June 2021, it was only in December of that year that a photo of her was shared.
In the months after the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s only daughter, many speculated whether the first time they would release pics of Lilibet to the world would be for Christmas. As it turns out, they were right, and a family photo featuring Lilibet was officially shared as part of their holiday greeting card. Granted, the parents of two didn’t give a full view of the then-six-month-old. Instead, only her side profile was shown as Meghan held her baby girl up in the air. It bears mentioning that none of the Sussexes faced the camera, with Meghan and Harry gazing at Lilibet and Archie displaying his side profile. Having said that, for the first time, we could get a closer look at the little boy — and sure enough, with this picture in color, we could see that he had inherited Prince Harry’s signature hue. Harry’s and Archie’s hair wasn’t the only matching detail between father and son. They also wore very similar outfits, with Harry and his firstborn wearing button-down shirts and jeans.
Archie and Lilibet were featured once again in Meghan and Harry’s Christmas card in 2024. The image made it clear that both kids had their dad’s vibrant red hair. However, once again, their faces were concealed, with both children photographed from behind, running into their parents’ arms.
Lilibet’s first full photos were shared after she turned one
Princess Lilibet’s full face might not have been on display in the first picture her parents released to the public, but a few months later, when she celebrated her first birthday, that changed.
Once again, Misan Harriman was asked to take pictures for the family celebration, and he shared two adorable snaps from the little girl’s birthday party on Instagram. The first was in color and featured just Lilibet sitting on the grass at Frogmore Cottage. The second, featuring Lilibet, Meghan Markle, and Harriman’s wife and children, was in black and white. Hey — it’s pretty clear the Sussexes have a theme when it comes to their family photos! As with previous snaps, the pictures were incredibly laidback. In fact, it seemed as though Meghan might even have gone makeup-free.
Of course, some suggested aspects of Lilibet’s birthday pictures were staged. However, the only evidence given for that was Harriman being a professional photographer. Royal author Pauline MacLaran told Express that it was different from Kate Middleton’s photos of her kids because they were taken by the Princess of Wales herself. As a result, MacLaran said, the Wales children’s pictures “come across as less formal in tone.” While the solo picture of Lilibet does look professional, we’re going to disagree about the second snap looking formal in any way.
Harry and Meghan included their kids in their show
As far as officially released pictures of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet go, it seems as though birthdays and Christmas are the only times we’re likely to get those. However, as many have noticed, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have shared very brief glimpses at pictures of both of their kids in other ways. That would be in their docuseries, “Harry & Meghan,” and in promos for the latter’s lifestyle brand.
Unfortunately, not everyone has loved the Sussexes’ approach of including their kids in their business endeavors. In particular, many called out the fact that Lilibet was used in the picture on the landing page for Meghan’s new business, As Ever. In fairness, Lilibet’s face isn’t visible, so the picture is in much the same vein as what we’ve already seen. However, haters are gonna hate — and hate, they did. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one annoyed platform user ranted, “Whatever happened to not presenting the children on a silver platter? I guess it’s okay to use them if it’s to sell things that make her money.” Sheesh. Another had a similar axe to grind, chiming, “Time to milk the children. How important is privacy?”
At the end of the day, Meghan and Harry will have to make the call on just how visible they want their kids to be. There’s no doubt that whenever they share pictures of Archie and Lilibet, it’s entirely on their own terms.
