Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might be about to make a big change when it comes to how they are raising their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s kids, their 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter, are definitely proving to have a unique upbringing for two fruits of the Royal Family tree – which probably brings with it a lot of positives, honestly.
Archie and Lilibet have certainly enjoyed a more private childhood so far than their more famous cousins — Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children, for example, practically live their lives in the glare of the public eye as they are paraded out at every major Royal event or snapped by the press during days out. A potential big downside of Harry and Meghan’s kids being kept apart from the Royals, though, is that they have no connection to their cousins.
And yet, as the Sussexes plan for a major move, it’s possible this could be about to change.
“It can only be good for the children”: Harry and Meghan’s kids look set to finally get to know their Royal cousins as Sussexes move back to Europe
While there’s little hope that Archie and Lilibet could get to know Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis anytime soon, all the signs are pointing to the pair finally forming bonds with their other Royal cousins as Harry and Meghan seem poised to take their family back to Europe. At least some of the time.
This fall, we learned that the Sussexes had purchased a new property in Portugal, which marks the first time Harry and Meghan have had a homebase in Europe since ditching the U.K. in 2020. This move means that they now have a place near to Harry’s favorite cousin, Princess Eugenie, and her young family — Prince Andrew’s daughter shares two sons, August and Ernest, with her husband, Jack Brooksbank.
As per what Royal commentator Jennie Bond told OK!, this could mark a big change for how Harry and Meghan raise their two children as it will give them a direct link to their Royal heritage for the first time. Even if they seem destined never to get to know their grandfather, King Charles, and Uncle William at all.
“It can only be good for the children to mix with at least some of their royal cousins,” Bond opined. “How curious, and sad, it will be for Archie and Lilibet if they grow up knowing they are part of one of the most famous families in the world — and yet they are estranged from almost all of them. To know that their grandfather and uncle were both Kings, and they didn’t know them.”
Bond speculated that, although the Portugal property was bought prior to the election, the fact that the Sussexes’ old enemy Donald Trump will be president again may convince the family to spend more time in Europe and away from the U.S. That said, at this point, you could take the kids out of America, but you probably couldn’t take the America out of the kids.
“The Portugal house does suggest that Harry and Meghan want the children to experience European culture, and get to know Eugenie’s kids,” Bond continued. “Perhaps we shall finally see some pictures of the Sussex brood, playing with their cousins. But, by now, they must be steeped in the Californian way of life and sound like proper little Americans.”
Considering Harry’s kids seem to have a more sheltered, safe, and apparently more secure childhood than the Waleses, though, maybe Archie and Lilibet being “proper little Americans” isn’t a bad thing.
