The Real Reason Harry And Meghan Keep Archie And Lilibet Out Of The Spotlight

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Prince Harry stares at his wife, Meghan Markle who smiles holding their baby, Archie

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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, are among a number of public figures who opt to keep their kids out of the public eye. For most A-listers, choosing to keep their children’s identity private is for their own protection, and that’s certainly the case for the Sussexes. “Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats,” a friend of the couple told People in December 2024. The source noted that the couple wants their children to live a typical life “without the fear of kidnapping or harm.”

The world got a glimpse of the couple’s children — Archie, born in 2019, and Lilibet, who was controversially named after her late great-grandmother, born in 2021 — in Meghan and Harry’s 2024 Christmas card shared on X by British journalist Omid Scobie. On the card, Prince Harry and Markle included images of their 2024 highlights, one of which showed their children running into their arms for an embrace. While some of the public was satisfied with the view of the children they were getting, others were upset that the kids’ faces weren’t shown. In noticing the general scrutiny and comments, one X user replied to the journalist’s post saying, “Every year that goes by, I think how right they were. One thing I learnt…you have to do what is right for you…”

The Sussexes have unsurprisingly not responded to the repeated requests to see more of the kids, and rightfully so.

Prince Harry refuses to repeat history

Prince Harry smiles sitting next to his wife, Meghan Markle

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The last time the world saw Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children was in 2021, in that year’s Christmas card. Since then, young Archie and his sister Lilibet’s faces have not been shown to the public. A friend of the family told USsWeekly in August 2024 that the Sussexes are aware of the public’s desire to see their children, but their safety is (obviously) prioritized over what strangers want. “I think every parent wants to share their kid with the world, but they just can’t,” the source said. This statement seems valid, especially since people went as far as creating AI-generated images of the couple’s children after not seeing their faces in the family’s 2024 Christmas card, per the New York Post.

In the summer of 2024, a friend of Harry and Meghan’s further told People that the Duke is determined to ensure what happened with his mother, Princess Diana, does not happen to his own family. Reports indicate that Prince Harry and Markle are very involved in the children’s lives, and the young kids live happily. However, the ridiculous requests to see more of Archie and Lilibet are likely to continue from the public, as people feel entitled to an all-access pass to celebrities. Nevertheless, the Sussexes and sources close to them, have made it clear that the children’s safety comes first, and it’s unlikely this will change, especially since the children are not protected by royal security following Prince Harry and his wife’s denouncement of their royal titles in 2020.