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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in 2018 in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle
- The couple welcomed son Archie in 2019 and daughter Lilibet in 2021
- An on-going rift in the Royal Family caused Harry and Meghan to step down from their royal duties and move to North America in 2020
- Prince Archie turned four on May 6, 2023, while his dad was in the UK for King Charles’ Coronation.
Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry moved away from both their royal duties and England, in part, to avoid more drama and attention regarding their private lives. However, with a bombshell Oprah interview, a revealing Netflix documentary and Harry’s memoir Spare, which details an alleged violent fight between him and his brother Prince William and more chilling memories from his life, the couple have often been the subject of interest,
While Harry and Meghan are endlessly captivating, so are their two children, Archie, 4, and Lilibet Windsor, 1! Although they initially didn’t have royal titles after their birth, Archie and Lilibet were afforded the titles of prince and princess respectively, after Prince Harry’s dad became King Charles III after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, per the Buckingham Palace website. While Meghan and the kids did not fly to the UK for Charles’ Coronation on May 6, 2023, it was a still special date for them, because it was also Archie’s fourth birthday. Harry went to the UK for his father’s big day, while Meghan stayed in America with the children. Prince Harry quickly returned home to the States be with his family on Archie’s birthday, and he wasn’t seen on the balcony with the rest of the Royal Family. The Duke of Sussex did not have an official role in his dad’s Coronation.
Harry and Meghan have been notoriously private about their kids since birth, mostly keeping them safe from the public eye (and the much-expected public scrutiny), including their Instagram. In addition to very few sneak peeks we’ve received of little Archie, fans also got a quick-if-you-can-catch-it glimpse of baby Lili in a black-and-white picture on Meghan’s desk during a video filmed at home for her 40×40 initiative. They also saw one of the first official shots of Lili in the Windsor family Christmas card released Dec. 23, 2021.
As they continue to grow up and make their mark on the world, we have some compelling information about the Windsor kids, from their birth details to their growing personalities to everything their loving parents have said about their development.
What Was The Inspiration For The Kids’ Names?
Meghan and Harry share two children together: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, born May 6, 2019, and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, born June 4, 2021. Archie was born at the Portland Hospital in London while Lili was born in Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California. Lili was born at 7 lbs. 11oz. — eight ounces more than her big brother who was born at 7lbs. 3oz.
Both Archie and Lili’s names were notable choices, departing slightly from the norm but still having meaning for the family. It was revealed recently that Archie actually almost had a different name — Harrison. “She was like ‘Harrison, that’s Archie’s middle name,’” an Invictus Games competitor said of Meghan during the games, per Us Weekly. “They were just having a chat because Harry and Meghan couldn’t decide between Archie and Harrison for the first name.”
Due to his being seventh in line of succession for the British throne, Archie is entitled to use his father’s subsidiary title Earl of Dumbarton as a courtesy. The Duke and Duchess, however, decided he would be styled as Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor due to their wish he grow up as a private citizen.
As for Lili, she was named after her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who was called “Lilibet” by her family. She was also given the middle name “Diana” after her paternal grandmother, Diana, Princess of Wales. Lili was also named eighth in the royal line of succession last summer.
Although tensions remain high within the royal family due to Meghan and Harry’s departure from the UK, the family still seemed to send their best wishes, when Harry’s father, who was then Prince Charles, released a statement on his official Instagram after Lili’s birth. “Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie on the arrival of baby Lilibet Diana,” a caption to a precious photo of Meghan, Harry and the couple’s two-year-old son
What Harry & Meghan Have Shared About Archie & Lilibet
Although they like to keep things relatively low-key, both Meghan and Harry have shared some behind-the-scenes details about their kids. While on the Ellen show back in Nov. 2021, Meghan shared how, for Halloween that year, the family chose to stay in for a family-focused celebration, but it didn’t go over so well for Archie nor Lili.
“We were home and we saw you guys, which was great,” Meghan said of seeing Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia DeRossi, their neighbors. “But no, we wanted to do something fun for the kids and then the kids were just not into it at all. Archie was a dinosaur for maybe five minutes,” she laughed, also sharing how Lili was “a little skunk” for the occasion.
Meghan also detailed how Lili was “teething” at the time and divulged the details of what every mom goes through in that stage. “She’s a good sleeper but the teeth are coming in so, any moms will understand that!” she shared. “They might be the best sleeper in the world and then the moment that that’s happening you just have so much sympathy for them. So yes, I have been up for most of the night!”
In March 2023, it was confirmed that Harry and Meghan celebrated Lili’s christening in Montecito, CA, where they have settled in after moving to America in 2020. The ceremony was overseen by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor, according to a spokesperson for the couple, per People. A source also told the outlet that Harry’s royal family was invited to the event, including Prince William, Kate Middleton, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, however, they did not attend.
The 20-30 guests that did attend reportedly included Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, and Lilibet’s very famous godfather, Tyler Perry. Archie, of course, was also apparently there to be by his little sister’s side.
Before the christening, Harry spoke out about Archie at the Invictus Games, giving supporters a further glimpse into his life as a dad. The Duke, who was a helicopter pilot in the British armed services, joked about his son’s career aspirations, telling the crowd that Archie “obviously” wants to follow in his father’s footsteps as an aviator.
“To be role models, or the role models that each of you are, takes strength and it takes courage,” Harry began his address to the crowd of injured veterans participating in the sporting tournament. “When I talk to my son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it’s an astronaut, other days it’s a pilot — a helicopter pilot obviously — or Kwazii from Octonauts,” he quipped, before adding, “If you’re laughing, then you’ve seen that.”
Harry continued, “But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, it’s your character that matters most, and nothing would make his mum and me prouder than to see him have the character of what we see before us today.”
Harry & Meghan On Becoming Parents
During her aforementioned appearance on The Ellen Show on Meghan also discussed how Archie was adjusting to the new baby in the house. “I think it’s just, everyone tells you — well, someone told H and I: ‘When you have one kid it’s a hobby, and two children is parenting,’” she told the talk show host.
Meghan continued, “Suddenly we realized, ‘Oh, right.’ Everyone talks about what it’s like for the second child, but no one talks about the adjustment for the first child when the second one comes along. So I think they have this moment of, ‘Oh, this is fun. Oh, this how it is now.’”
Harry also recently reflected on parenthood on the TODAY Show while at the Invictus Games, saying how he loves “all” aspects of being a parent. “The chaos, the learning, the reminder of every element of yourself, your soul, right? When you’re not a parent you can get sucked into all sorts of different stuff and maybe sometimes you forget who you are,” he shared.
“Suddenly, as a parent … especially now [with] Archie, and the age he’s at, asking all the questions! He’s into the ‘why’ stage,” Harry laughed. “Instead of just trying to move it on, I give him the most honest answer that I can and then it goes on and on and on until he’s satisfied and then that’s it — it’s done! Otherwise it ends up with, ‘Because the world is round and that’s the way that it is’!”
He added, “I love it. I love every part of it. I always wanted to be a dad, I always wanted to have my own kids and now I’ve got two little people who I’m responsible for.”
The couple is now raising their children at their Santa Barbara, California home.