Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the Royal Family in 2020, they have kept their children away from the limelight. However, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet sometimes appear on the Duchess' social media posts, although their faces are always hidden. A recent photograph, taken from behind Meghan Markle where she can be seen holding her two kids, did not go down too well with critics. She has even been accused of using them to promote her new digital storefront.
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Now it's being reported that Prince Harry is not too happy about putting them in the public eye either.
Prince Harry is said to be 'unhappy' about using their kids' image
According to The Sun's royal editor, Matt Wilkinson, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may not be on the same page about using their children's image online. The editor appeared on Hello! magazine's Royal Right podcast on Friday 4 April 2025. He claimed:
My understanding of this is that, up to a certain stage, Harry would much rather his children were not seen.
He went on, explaining that the Prince does not want his children to be photographed by paparazzi, something that could stem from his late mother's experience with tabloids.
He doesn’t want them to be papped. He’s got this idea that if he takes them outside of Montecito, there’s a horde of us out there trying to take pictures of his kids. They’re not, by the way!
Meghan Markle, on the other hand, grew up in California, and in a different culture. She reportedly does not want to keep them hidden, but rather control the way they appear in the media. Matt Wilkinson explained:
She once said she would like to have a more California style lifestyle, take them down the beach, go out, do stuff. She doesn’t want to hide them away. We’ve seen this more and more with the use of Lilibet and Archie. We don’t see their faces.
Wilkinson's insights seem to be based on what he thinks of the couple and their experiences. They do not seem to be a reflection of anything Prince Harry or Meghan have explicitly said. Nor have the couple ever talked about having disputes on how they want to navigate their children's image in the public.
The couple have a history of being selective when it comes to showing Archie and Lilibet's faces, previously restricting any photos to birthdays and Christmas cards. However, in recent years even that has stopped.
Other celebrities choose to keep their children away from the limelight
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not the only public couple who are being careful. Indeed, other famous figures such as Amal and George Clooney chose the same path. The couple, who shares six-year-old twins Ella and Alexander, has been clear about their intentions right from the start. The actor even shared an official statement after the birth of their twins, asking media outlets to restrain from publishing pictures of their children. He wrote:
We have never sold a picture of our kids, we are not on social media and never post pictures because to do so would put their lives in jeopardy. Not paranoid jeopardy but real world issues, with real world consequences.
British legendary singer Adele also decided to protect her son Angelo from being photographed, and from becoming spoiled. She told the Time:
I'm very self-conscious that I have a kid, and I don't want him being one of this who grows up being like 'Driver, driver! I have no clean clothes!' Well, have you washed them? I really don't want him growing up like that. I'm very conscious of it.
Read more:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children go on playdates with this famous celebrity
Meghan Markle accused of using children to promote brands by royal experts
Meghan Markle on the Sussex name and how it's 'part of her love story' with Prince Harry
Sources used:
New York Post: Prince Harry ‘is not overly happy’ about Meghan Markle ‘exploiting’ their kids to promote her brand: royal expert
Hello!: The stars who never show photos of their kids: Amal Clooney, Adele & more
Time: Adele on Motherhood, Social Media and Breaking Records
