Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2, won't be inheriting their dad’s British accent. The couple, who stepped down as members of the royal family in 2021, are raising their two kids in Montecito, California.
Markle appreciates that they are able to fly under the radar on the West coast. In an interview with The Cut, Markle explained that in the U.K., she wouldn’t be able to do school pickup and drop-off without a swarm of photographers snapping pictures.
“Sorry, I have a problem with that. That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child,”Markle told the publication in 2022.
Harry has also spoken out about wanting to protect Archie and Lilibet from the British press.
“You know, it was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw… and it was destroying my mental health. I was like, this is toxic,” Harry shared during a conversation with James Corden on “The Late, Late Show” in 2021. “So I did what any husband and what any father would do. It’s like, I need to get my family out of here.”
Read on to learn more about Harry and Meghan’s kids and their life in California.
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
Harry and Meghan welcomed Archie to the world May 6, 2019, at London’s Portland Hospital.
They announced their son’s name on Instagram with a photo of the baby meeting his late great-grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, along with Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother.
Archie, who is 6th in the line of succession to the throne, has three godparents, including, Tiggy Pettifer, a former nanny to Harry.
During a 2021 appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Meghan shared a photo of her son standing in a chicken coop — aptly titled “Archie’s Chick Inn” — on the family’s Montecito property.
“He’s so sweet with the chickens,” DeGeneres, a friend of Meghan and Harry gushed. “Archie is just such a gentle soul.”
Along with chickens, Archie loves spending time outdoors with his parents.
“We go for walks as a family and with the dogs. You know, we go on hikes or go down to the beach, which is so close,” Harry said during a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. “The highlight for me is sticking him on the back of the bicycle in his little baby seat and taking him on bike rides ... something which I never was able to do when I was young.”
In a 2022 interview with TODAY, Harry revealed that Archie shares his “cheeky” personality.
That same year, at the Invictus Games in the Netherlands, Harry said his son is interested inbecoming either an astronaut or a pilot, but added the profession isn’t what concerns him.
“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 told the crowd.
Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor
The second child of Harry and Meghan was born on June 4, 2021, in Santa Barbara, California.
“Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet,” a statement from the couple explained. “Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.
Lili, who is a princess, is seventh in the line of succession to the British throne. Her godfather is filmmaker Tyler Perry.
On “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Harry teased that the “ginger gene is a strong one,” referring to Lili and Archie both having red hair like him.
“I actually really, genuinely thought at the beginning of my relationship (with Meghan) that should this go the distance and we have kids that there’s no way the ginger gene will stand up to my wife’s genes, but I was wrong!” he joked.
In 2021, Harry said that he and Meghan got lucky with Lili.
"Two is definitely a juggle," Harry said at a WellChild event, according to Hello magazine. "(But) she’s very chilled and seems happy to just sit there while Archie is running around like crazy."
Rachel Paula Abrahamson is a lifestyle reporter who writes for the parenting, health and shop verticals. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and elsewhere. Rachel lives in the Boston area with her husband and their two daughters. Follow her on Instagram.
