Even though they are still very young, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie have already been in the spotlight for years. Given their parents, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved the family to the US and later criticized the royal family, several experts warned the couple that it may be their children who would take the biggest hit when they grew up.
Harry and Meghan gave their children royal titles, which they argued were their “birthright.” Though, they have a very strained relationship with their family in the UK, as they have barely spent any time their grandfather, King Charles, cousins, or uncle.
Harry and Meghan’s decision to move to the US to start a new life – but was that the best thing for their children? According to a royal expert, Meghan Markle now fears that it will significantly affect her children in the future — as they might turn around and blame her for how their lives turned out.
Royal children have always been of enormous interest to fans worldwide. It didn’t start with this generation, with the likes of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, but for decades, they have always had an extraordinary place in royal fans’ hearts.
Since their mother, Princess Diana, became a “princess of people’s hearts,” Princes William and Harry were always at the center of attention regarding the media. Sadly, her 1997 passing put an even greater spotlight on them.
Harry & Meghan – children Archie & Lilibet
Meanwhile, not all royal children are getting the same amount of attention. Two of them are not being followed around by the media because of their parents’ decision.
As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to leave royal life to start a new one in the US, their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, were removed from whatever public life they would have been getting used to if the Sussexes had stayed in the UK.
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan have yet to adjust to living a more private life, as their many interviews and Harry’s book, Spare, made them the center of attention. The many accusations against the royal family put them back into the spotlight, and in one way, it also meant Archie and Lilibet entered it, too.
Harry and Meghan have been very restrictive about having anyone take photos of their children. However, as their Netflix documentary series launched in December 2022, their kids both appeared and stole the show.
While the Netflix appearance was quite harmful, there were other events involving Archie and Lilibet, which resulted in Harry and Meghan getting a lot of criticism, mainly because their children haven’t been left with the choice of whether to be involved in public life.
One of those events was when Harry and Meghan announced that both Lilibet and Archie received royal titles in 2023 — becoming Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace,” a spokesman for the couple said.
Harry & Meghan received criticism for handing their children royal titles
The Royal Family’s website was updated accordingly. Archie and Lilibet are listed as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex. When it was updated, it was the first time their royal titles have been used publicly.
As per the Mirror, Harry and Meghan were understood to not to want to deny their children their birthright. Instead, they wish that Archie and Lilibet have a chance to decide for themselves whether to keep or drop their titles when they are older.
The Sussex children will likely only use their royal titles occasionally, reserved for formal settings alone.
But while Harry and Meghan have every right to acknowledge the royal titles they give their children, not everyone is equally happy about it.
Shortly after the news of Archie and Lilibet’s royal titles was announced, expert and author Angela Levin said it might negatively impact their futures.
The royal expert argued that Lilibet now has a significant burden on her shoulders due to her parent’s decision.
“It will take a long time for little Lilibet to realize the extent of the burden her parents have placed on her young shoulders,” Angela Levin wrote in a piece for Sky News Australia.
She argued that by giving their daughter a princess title, Harry and Meghan have now “glued her to the British Royal Family,” the same establishment they have criticized for many years.
“Why on earth would you want your daughter to experience such anguish?” the royal expert said, adding that Lilibet’s everyday life will be more challenging now that she has the princess title attached to her name.
“Little girls obviously love being a princess at parties, but if Lilibet is the only one in the class who is a real princess, it could lead to jealousy that could easily be avoided,” Levin concluded.
Meghan fears for her children’s safety if returning to the UK
Like Angela Levin, a majority of members of the public didn’t think giving their children royal titles was right.
According to a YouGov poll published in March 2023, 51% of respondents said Archie and Lilibet shouldn’t have royal titles, while 25% thought they should.
Harry and Meghan have only been back in the UK on a few occasions since leaving the royal family. Lilibet celebrated her first birthday at Frogmore Cottage – the house Harry and Meghan were evicted from – and Archie lived his first year in the UK before his family moved to the US.
In just a few weeks, Harry and Meghan are believed to travel to London to be part of the Invictus Games 10th Anniversary Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
If reports were to be believed, they had plans to bring their children with them, and there has even been claimed that William and Kate have asked them to bring their children, not least so they can spend time with their UK cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
However, just days ago, reports suggested that Meghan doesn’t want to bring her children to the UK at all. According to royal expert and author Tom Quinn, Meghan fears for her children’s safety if returning to the British Isles.
“There is no way Meghan would bring the children to the UK,” Quinn told the Mirror in early April.
“William and Kate have suggested that Meghan and Harry bring the children and that the two couples and their families try to make up, but the suggestion is not leading anywhere so far.”
Friend of Prince Harry reveals ‘hopes’ for Archie and Lilibet
A source told OK! Magazine also stated that Meghan fears for her children’s safety if returning.
“It’s now got to the point where Meghan doesn’t want to come to the UK with the children. She just doesn’t feel safe. The situation is now about whether the family should attend with increased security or Harry should go it alone,” the source said.
We don’t know much about Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s lives in sunny Montecito, California. The couple lives in a huge mansion, which some have dubbed “Fort Knox,” and as mentioned, Harry and Meghan are very restrictive about even speaking about them in public.
What we do know, however, is that Prince Harry is a big fan of polo. The Duke has been spotted playing polo at Santa Barbara Polo Club and several times taking part in charity polo matches. Last weekend, Harry played on the Royal Salute Sentebale Team in a charity polo match in Wellington, Florida.
One of his close friends, Nacho Figueras, also competed in the polo match. In an interview with Hello! Magazine, he explained his hopes of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet following in their father’s footsteps – and playing polo.
“I really hope so, I hope that Archie and Lili get to love horses as much as he does,” Figueras told Hello!
“There’s something about the outside of a horse that’s great for the inside of a human. Hopefully, that love and passion will be transmitted. I know my kids love it. and they love to play. It would be a dream that one day we all get to play polo together.”
Nacho has four children with his wife, Delfina; however, they are a bit older than Archie and Lilibet.
“It’s always great to be with him and doing something we love, which is playing polo,” Nacho said about Harry.
Meghan ‘worried’ Archie and Lilibet will ‘blame her’ over move to US, royal expert claims
“We speak very often, which is amazing to be able to have a friendship that feels like – sometimes we’re not together-together – so it’s always a good thing to be able to share that with someone.”
Harry and Meghan’s new life in the US is undoubtedly different from the royal life they lived together for years. Meanwhile, their children don’t have much family close by, and until now, the significant decisions the Sussexes made for their children might affect their lives in the future, whether it’s a public life or not.
Sadly, royal expert Tom Quinn now claims that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, fears that both Archie and Lilibet will “blame her for depriving them” of the chance of becoming working royals.
“On the other hand, we should always remember that phrase – ‘never say never,’ because it will come back to haunt you when you change your mind, especially if you are a public figure like Meghan,” Quinn told the Mirror.
“A friend of the couple – one of Meghan’s few aristocratic friends from her time in the UK – told me Meghan does miss some aspects of life in the UK and worries that her children will blame her if they never get to see their cousins and feel as adults that they have been deprived of what might have been a fun and meaningful existence in the UK as working royals.”
Time will tell if Archie and Lilibet will want any part of royal life, which their parents didn’t. But if they do, we are sure that their cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, would welcome them with open arms.
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