Harry and Meghan’s children have basically had zero contact with the royal side of their family, and no one knows if or when that might change. It is clear, though, that their grandfather, King Charles, longs to meet his US-based grandchildren, and he might not be the only one.
As such, it’s hardly a surprise that Harry and Meghan’s choices relating to their kids have been called into question. In fact, the Sussexes have now been accused of ‘trapping’ their children by denying them a relationship with one half of their family.
Lilibet’s connections to the Royal Family – though her parents have made it clear they don’t want anything to do with the monarchy – go deeper than one might think. Sure, she’s named after her famous great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, but one heartbreaking thing stood out when Lilibet was christened and received her royal title. Harry and Meghan appeared to have chosen a date for the christening that had a greater significance than anyone could’ve imagined.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the UK years ago to live a quieter life in California. As the couple settled into their multimillion-dollar mansion in Montecito, many believed it was the beginning of the Sussexes slowly leaving their public lives behind, not least for the sake of their children, Archie and Lilibet.
Princess Lilibet
However, Harry’s brood still find themselves the talk of the town on a fairly regular basis, thanks in no small part due to the actions of their parents. In March last year, for example, Lilibet’s name made headlines worldwide after she received a royal title.
The young girl was christened by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev. John Taylor, and thereafter became Princess Lilibet Diana. Her brother, Archie, received the title of ‘prince’.
The christening occurred privately at the Sussexes’ home in Montecito, California, with around 20 to 30 people in attendance. In a statement, Harry and Meghan said they believe the prince and princess titles are their children’s “birthright.”
“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace,” a spokesman for the couple said.
Of course, many were left confused by the fact that Archie and Lilibet now bear the titles of prince and princess. Meghan spoke about the subject during the now-infamous Oprah interview.
“They were saying they didn’t want [Archie] to be a prince or princess, not knowing what the gender would be, which would be different from protocol,” she said.
It was understood that Harry and Meghan did not want to deny their children Archie and Lilibet their birthrights. Instead, they desired Archie and Lilibet to have the chance to decide for themselves whether to keep or drop their titles when they got older.
Royal expert says Princess Lilibet’s royal title is a “burden”
Archie and Lilibet aren’t likely to use their royal titles daily; instead, they will be reserved for formal settings alone.
However, though Harry and Meghan have every right to acknowledge the royal titles of their two children, not everyone is as enthusiastic. Royal expert and author Angela Levin commented on the decision in a piece for Sky News Australia, saying that it might have an unwanted impact on Archie and Lilibet’s futures.
Moreover, Levin argues that Lilibet now has a significant burden on her shoulders due to her parent’s decision.
“It will take a long time for little Lilibet to realise the extent of the burden her parents have placed on her young shoulders,” Levin said.
She added that by giving their daughter a princess title, Harry and Meghan have now “glued her to the British Royal Family,” the same establishment they have criticized for many years.
“Why on earth would you want your daughter to experience such anguish?” Levin asked, stating that Lilibet’s everyday life will be more challenging since she has the princess title attached to her name.
“Little girls obviously love being a princess at parties, but if Lilibet is the only one in the class who is a real princess, it could lead to jealousy that could easily be avoided,” the royal expert concluded.
According to royal expert and author Tom Quinn, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s royal titles expose them even more. He told Express that the children may soon feel “horribly trapped.”
“Lilibet and Archie are going to get teased at school”
According to Quinn, Archie and Lilibet will grow up in a society that contradicts the “American Dream.” The author of Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family told the Express that Archie and Lilibet’s privileged childhood runs against the American Dream of anyone being able to make it, regardless of where you come from.
The fact that the two young children are divorced from the idea that a person’s background doesn’t matter might haunt them.
“I can imagine Lilibet and Archie are going to get teased at school, possibly bullied, because people say, ‘Oh, you’re a prince and princess.’ You’re horribly trapped,” he told Express.
Quinn added that it wouldn’t be the first time a young prince or princess experienced a hard time at school. In fact, King Charles had an famously unfortunate time when he enrolled at the prestigious Scottish boarding school, Gordonstoun at a young age.
“When Charles went to Gordonstoun, at first he thought he would be treated with respect because he was the heir to the throne. In fact, that meant he was bullied far more than the other boys,” the royal expert added.
“America doesn’t value these things as much as we do here. If you’re born into these things, people might early on say, ‘how marvellous’, but the glitter wears off and then you have got to find what to do with your life.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose to have Lilibet’s christening on March 8, which is International Women’s Day.
Heartbreaking detail about Princess Lilibet’s christening date
However, that was not the only significance relating to that specific date. Royal fans quickly noted that it was also precisely six months after the death of Lilibet’s great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Still, Lilibet’s christening was not the first time Harry and Meghan had chosen a meaningful announcement date.
When the Sussexes announced that Meghan was pregnant with Lilibet, they did so on Valentine’s Day, 2021. Remarkably, it was the same date upon which Princess Diana announced she was pregnant with Harry. According to the couple, they only discovered the coincidence after they had announced the Lilibet pregnancy.
“I was shocked. We had no idea. It was just a coincidence, or maybe not a coincidence,” Harry said in their Netflix series.
Harry and Meghan have taken care not to overexpose their children in the media, and don’t share pictures of them online. Meanwhile, as the Sussexes visited Colombia for a four-day tour last week, the Duchess decided to lift the lid on her daughter. During a speech, Meghan said she wants to be a role model for Lilibet and encourage her to speak up.
“At three, she has found her voice,” Meghan said. “And we are so proud of that because that is how we, as I was saying, create the conditions in which there is an ripple effect of young girls and young women knowing that if someone else is encouraging them to use their voice and be heard, that’s what they’re going to do and they’re going to create a very different environment than so many of us grew up in where our voices were meant to be smaller.”
Royal expert explains Princess Lilibet’s “great tragedy”
But while Meghan was overjoyed with her daughter, one royal expert has now spoken on the sad truth that Princess Lilibet and her brother, Prince Archie, don’t have a relationship with their grandfather, King Charles.
The monarch is reportedly “heartbroken” about not being able to see his grandchildren in the US, and there have even been rumors about him planning a trip across the Atlantic to visit. Given the notoriously tight royal schedule, though, it might not be easy to carry through.
Appearing on GB News, royal expert and former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole discussed Meghan’s remarks about Lilibet in her Colombia speech, saying that Lilibet’s “great tragedy” is that she has still not met the Royal Family. On top of that, Lilibet’s maternal grandfather, Thomas Markle, remains ostracized.
“I think what that little child won’t be saying is ‘hello, grandpa,’ which is a great, great tragedy because she hasn’t met King Charles, she hasn’t met Thomas Markle, her maternal grandfather – it’s such a shame,” Cole said.
“They go around the world and they’re trying to do good, and we welcome the good, but you’ve got to actually take that home.”
Moreover, Cole discussed the strained relationship between Harry, Meghan, and the Royal Family in the UK, stating if they “can’t make bridges within their own family, what hope have they got in making bridges to other communities, other faiths, and other beliefs.”
