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As Meghan tentatively ‘drip-feeds her children’ into the public eye, royal expert Duncan Lancombe warns ‘it’s a tap they won’t be able to turn off – royal celebrity never fades’
Prince Harry has made it very clear over the years how much he disliked growing up in the glare of the royal spotlight. But a royal expert predicts he’s unlikely to be able to make it any different for his own children – especially in light of some recent moves by his wife, Meghan Markle. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, announced last week that she was launching a new business, As Ever, which would weave together everything she “cherished”, including food, gardening and entertaining.
Her new website, which so far only includes a link to the Instagram page and an option to subscribe to updates, uses a full-screen picture of Meghan running through a field barefoot with their young daughter, Princess Lilibet. Royal expert Duncan Larcombe told OK! that the image of Lilibet – albeit not showing her face – likely came as a surprise to many royal watchers, and could trigger alarm bells for Harry.
“Given Harry’s views on publicity, fans were probably shocked to see Lilibet again so soon,” he told OK!. “If Harry could wave a magic wand, I think he’d want a world where his children would never be recognised or seen as public property in any way, because he hated that himself. He’s wrestled with it his whole life. But Meghan is building a brand, and that is somewhat at odds with a life out of the limelight, so this is where alarm bells might start to ring down the line for Harry.
“She’s sharing their children tentatively, but it’s a very big deal because it’s a tap they won’t get to turn off. When their children are young adults hanging out in Hollywood, they’ll be gazing into cameras left, right and centre, because the royal thing won’t go away. The royals are famous before they’re born, they’re famous all their lives, and they’re famous after their deaths. Their celebrity never fades.”
Harry, 40, spoke candidly about his intense fears for his family in a chat late last year, referencing his own difficult childhood and how he witnessed his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, living in an intense spotlight up until her tragic death in 1997. In an earlier conversation with actor Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert podcast, Harry said being born into the royal family meant “you inherit every element of it without choice”, and that he wanted to “break the cycle” of pain and suffering that comes with being a part of “The Firm”.
“I don’t think we should be pointing the finger or blaming anybody,” he said. “But certainly when it comes to parenting, if I’ve experienced some form of pain or suffering, because of the pain or suffering that perhaps my father or my parents suffered, I’m going to make sure I break that cycle so I don’t pass it on, basically.”
Since their births in 2019 and 2021, we’ve only seen Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, on a handful of occasions, but glimpses are becoming more frequent. The Sussexes’ official Christmas card last year featured the little ones, photographed from behind, walking into the open arms of their mum and dad. They also appeared (with faces not shown) in Meghan’s video tribute to her rescue dog, Guy, who died in January.
According to Duncan, author of Prince Harry : The Inside Story, the couple will be acutely aware of the level of interest in any royal, but especially those with the titles of Prince and Princess. “There’s probably some truth in the idea that Harry and Meghan perhaps don’t see eye-to-eye on this,” he said. “It’s interesting to see Meghan starting to drip-feed their children in the public sphere. Maybe she realises that, as a Prince and Princess, they’re going to have to like it or lump it when it comes to their profile. Being a royal isn’t like being a celebrity – you’re stuck with it.”
Archie and Lilibet were not prince and princess at birth, because they were not grandchildren of the monarch at the time, Queen Elizabeth II. They earned the right to the titles when their grandfather Charles became King in September 2022. Around six months later, the children were included as Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex on the royal family’s official website, listed as sixth and seventh in the line of succession. At the time, a spokesperson said, “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.”
But former royal editor Duncan points out not every member of the royal family chooses to use the titles, even when they can. “Princess Anne decided she didn’t want her children, Peter and Zara, to be Prince and Princess, but they are still royal figures. Their profiles are a lot lower but you see them on Christmas Day and at big royal functions.”
He adds: “I think Harry struggles to accept his kids are, to some extent, public property because they’re royal, and it comes with the titles. They named their daughter after the Queen and they use the title of Prince and Princess. The fact is they are royal children and, to some extent, that means they’ll have to face up to the fact that their offspring are public figures and will always be in the spotlight. It’s an almost impossible task to keep them out of the limelight forever.”
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