Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s Coronation Absence Has Some Feeling ‘Sorry’ For Harry and Meghan’s Kids
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been enjoying a much different life from the rest of the royal family since leaving the United Kingdom for California back in 2020. They settled into a beautiful home in Montecito where they are now raising their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Archie was born in the U.K. and had a chance to get to know his relatives (though he won’t remember the meetings) while Harry and Meghan were still living over there during the first year of his life. Lilibet, however, has yet to travel the U.K. and has actually never even met Harry’s family. Now, the two kids will not be attending King Charles’ coronation in May, which has some feeling “sorry” for the royal pair.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are not close with the royal family
Archie was born in London in 2019, roughly a year before Harry and Meghan exited the royal family to pursue a new life in North America. During that time, Archie was living on the grounds of Windsor Castle with his parents, and he certainly got to know the other royal family members quite well. While he is too young to remember, he spent time with his great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his grandfather, King Charles, and even met his cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Still, the royal kids are not close with their cousins.
Lilibet has yet to meet the royal family. Though they named her after Queen Elizabeth, the young royal is only a year old and has not been to the U.K. to meet her grandfather, her Uncle William and Aunt Kate, or her cousins. She also never had the chance to meet Queen Elizabeth.
One royal expert feels ‘sorry’ for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children
Now, as the coronation gets nearer, Harry and Meghan have announced that Meghan will stay home in California with her children while Harry attends his father’s ceremony. Of course, traveling with a one year old and almost-four year old certainly isn’t easy, and nobody blames the couple for keeping the kids home. Still, royal expert Gyles Brandreth says he is “sorry” that the children have to miss out on such an important family event.
“In some ways, I’m sorry particularly for the children,” Brandreth told Page Six. “The reason that they are a prince and princess is that they are the grandchildren of a reigning sovereign.” Archie and Lili missing out on the coronation only further alienates them from the rest of the royal family. It’s unclear yet if the two kids will spend more time in the U.K. once they get a bit older.
Meghan Markle reportedly wants to make peace for her children’s sake
Despite the drama, rumors have swirled that Meghan wants to maintain in good standing with the royal family for her children’s sake. Meghan reportedly does want the kids to have a relationship with King Charles — especially because they do not have a relationship with Thomas Markle, Meghan’s father, with whom she had a falling out in the months leading up to her wedding.
How Harry and Meghan go about making peace with the royal family remains to be seen. Perhaps it starts with Harry attending Charles coronation. Harry and Meghan living in the U.S. has certainly given them all the space they might have needed to start fresh.
