Prince Harry was once seen as the perfect member of the Royal Family. He attended every occasion, served in the army, and dedicated his life to his country. However, his public image began to shift after marrying former actress Meghan Markle. Since then, the two have taken a massive step back from the public eye. After the birth of his daughter, Princess Lilibet, Harry refused to share any details regarding their private life. However, in a turn of events, he recently confirmed which royal family member she seems to take after. You may be surprised by what he had to say.
A Life of Drama
In 2021, the world learned of the passing of Prince Phillip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth. His death shocked the world and left the Royal Family in mourning. A massive funeral was held, which Prince Harry attended. However, Meghan was unable to attend, as she was heavily pregnant with Lili and was not cleared by her doctor to fly. Even though Harry was obviously shaken by this loss, the media hounded him.
This resulted in his return to America to be with his wife and children. Harry and Meghan appeared to have very little contact with the Royals following Phillip’s death. It seemed as though his visit to the UK for the funeral had not been a pleasant one. For this reason, fans were left wondering when and if he would return home again in the near future. After all, he did have a baby on the way, and surrounded by a tense atmosphere was no way to raise a child.
The Public Eye
After Meghan gave birth to Princess Lilibet, the couple took a few weeks to rest and recover before sharing the news with the world. The pair have always tried to shield their children from the media as much as they possibly could, but being Royals, they are required to give a certain amount of leeway.
So, after a short break, the news of Lilibet’s arrival made headlines around the globe. The public was delighted, and even though the couple had already stepped back from their royal duties, the royal family still released a statement congratulating them.
Congratulations
Unfortunately, tensions were high between Harry and the rest of his family. They had not yet forgiven him for stepping away from his duties. Because of this, the public was intrigued to see how the Queen would respond to the birth of Lilibet.
Would she simply ignore the announcement? Instead, the Queen, followed by Prince Charles and Camilla, released a public statement expressing their satisfaction with the birth of the newest addition to the Royal Family.
The Meaning Behind a Name
Even though there was some tension between the family members, everybody assumed that the Queen was delighted with the newest arrival. This was mostly due to the fact that Lilibet was even named after her.
In a joint statement, Harry and Meghan confirmed that their daughter was named after the Queen. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her late grandmother, the Princess of Wales.
A Christmas Speech
The Royal Family has to be very careful about what they say to the public. For this reason, nobody was really surprised that the Queen didn’t reveal too many of her true feelings over the birth of her 11th great-grandchild.
However, during her Christmas speech, she spoke out a bit more on the matter. Even though she didn’t mention Lilibet by name, she discussed how ecstatic she was to welcome four new children into the Royal Family.
More Details
For a while, the whole world was kept in the dark regarding Prince Harry, Meghan, and their life with their newest addition. However, that all changed after he released his book, Spare. The world was shocked to hear some of the stories that he included in this biography.
He discussed his life as a Royal, meeting Meghan, and how their lives changed after the birth of their two children. He even mentioned how he was the one to deliver Princess Lilibet because he ‘wanted to be the first face she saw.’
The Godfather
A few months after his book was published, the couple also released a Netflix docuseries. In this series, the public learned a little bit more about the people closest to Lilibet and her parents. The series also confirmed that they chose Tyler Perry as Lilibet’s godfather.
This didn’t come as much of a surprise, though, as everyone already knew just how close the family was to the actor. He even offered them a place to stay after they chose to step away from the Royal Family.
Sticking to Their Guns
However, while Perry was honored with their decision to make him Godfather, he couldn’t shake one hesitation. He didn’t want to have to travel to England in order to ‘do all that Church stuff’ with the Royal Family.
Luckily, at this point, Meghan and Harry had already stepped away from their Royal duties. For this reason, they stuck to their guns and made Perry Lilibet’s official Godfather, even though the Royal Family didn’t approve of this decision.
At the end of the day, whether a Royal Family member or not, no parent should have their child’s godparent decided for them. Certain things should be left alone, this being one of them.
A Momentous Occasion
The docuseries also gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at the day-to-day lives of the couple and their children. We even got a chance to see Lilibet and Archie in the flesh, playing and interacting with one another.
In one incredibly heartwarming scene, Lilibet celebrates her first birthday. The couple spends the special occasion at Frogmore Cottage, where they play in the garden with their children and enjoy their new, more private way of life.
Super fans couldn’t help but notice that Lilibet’s birthday cake was even made by the same baker who designed the couple’s wedding cake. Everyone could see just how loved the new Princess really was.
Like Mother, Like Son
In this series, the couple also spoke about their two children and who they think they take after. According to Harry, it’s no secret that Archie takes after his mother. If you look at a picture of baby Archie and baby Meghan, it’s easy to tell that they are related.
The mother-son duo look almost identical, which fans loved to see. It was also incredibly heart-warming to see just how happy the pair were to talk about their children. You can see just how much they enjoy the new life that they have made for themselves.
But what about Lilibet? The public had heard so little about the new Princess and was dying to hear more about who she would take after. Was she shy and sweet, like her father, or outspoken and confident, like her mother?
Princess Diana
As it turns out, Princess Lilibet is more like her grandmother than either Harry or Meghan. In an interview, the couple spoke about how they see more and more of Diana in Lilibet every single day. Not only does she look like the late Princess of Wales, but her personality has already begun shining through.
Even though Princess Lilibet was only one at the time of filming, her parents claim that she has so much personality that it’s hard to miss. They can tell that she will be just as confident and passionate as Diana once was.
On top of this, Lilibet looks like the spitting image of her grandmother. With her golden-reddish hair and bright blue eyes, it’s evident that she will be just as beautiful as the Princess of Wales was.
Keeping the Door Ajar
Harry and Meghan both bravely and boldly decided to leave the Royal Family after opting for a quieter and more private life. They didn’t want to share all of the details regarding their children’s lives with the public.
That said, they still share a few details with their fans every now and again. Even though they prefer their privacy, they both know that being famous comes with certain social requirements.
Because of this, the couple share snippets here and there, but never anything too personal. In 2021, Meghan even appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to discuss her new life.
Adjustments
In this interview, Meghan was very candid while still avoiding sharing too much detail. She discussed what it was like to be a mother and the various adjustments they had to make when the new baby came along.
More specifically, she discussed how Archie had to get used to not being the only child anymore. According to Meghan, having one child is a hobby, while having two children is real parenting.
Her face swelled with pride when she talked about her children. You could see just how much she loves them and that she has no regrets about her decision to step back from the Royal Family.
A Major Talking Point
While fans loved to see Meghan gushing over her children, there was one topic in particular that everybody wanted her to discuss. The Royal Family apparently had concerns over how dark Lilibet’s skin was going to be.
When asked about what her children look like, Meghan responded in a positive light, which relieved the fans. Apparently, Lilibet has slightly darker hair than Archie, but it still resembles the same light red of her father.
According to Meghan, Archie’s hair gets redder the older he gets, which is what she also expects from Lilibet. However, there is no denying that her children also resemble her a lot.
The Significance of Red Hair
Even though Harry and Meghan wouldn’t change a thing about their children, they also admit that Harry’s red hair was a bone of contention for many years during his time in the Royal Family.
He was the only member to have red hair, which confused a lot of people for many years. He stuck out like a sore thumb, which left him feeling alone a lot of the time. His hair color also fueled rumors that Prince Charles wasn’t actually his father.
Harry goes into more detail on this topic in his book. Even his own father would make jokes about his red hair, claiming that he was the illegitimate child of the Royal Family and that his real father was Major James Hewitt.
Couldn’t Get Enough
Harry openly wrote about his experience as a young prince in his book. He even discusses how Major Hewitt’s red hair wasn’t the only cause of speculation. Instead, he blamed cruelty as the main reason behind these rumors.
According to Harry, tabloids wrote of his ‘illegitimacy’ as though it was a big joke. He felt so separated from his family, and the public only worsened the situation. What’s worse, there wasn’t even any evidence behind the skepticism.
We will never know just how badly these rumors affected the young Prince, but it’s safe to say that he never wants his children to feel the same way he once did. He is evidently incredibly proud of his kids — red hair and all.
No Longer Alone
Now that he has two children with the same hair color as him, Prince Harry no longer feels alone. Instead, he is proud to closely resemble his son and daughter. For the first time, there are people who look just like him, and there is no speculation over who the father of Lilibet and Archie is.
Harry felt so alone growing up, which undoubtedly caused him to step away from his duties as a Royal Family member. He never wants his children to feel the same way that he once did.
This is especially true when it comes to his older brother, Prince William. He always felt as though he was the ‘spare’ brother, living in William’s shadow. He knows that Lilibet will never feel second-best because his kids will be treated equally.
The Irritating Younger Sibling
During an interview with Hello! Magazine in 2023, Harry opened up about how much he had learned since becoming a father. To be more specific, he has come to understand exactly what it means to be an ‘annoying’ younger sibling.
With his own children, he can see how Archie often needs space from Lili, as she is just infatuated with him. Everything Archie does, Lili wants to do. While we, as adoring fans of the Royal Family, love to hear stories like these, we also feel for young Archie.
Harry now understands what it must have been like for his older brother, William. Harry used to be exactly like Lili, running around after his brother.
The Life of a Father
Harry has also learned more about what it actually means to be a father. Before he had children of his own, he always questioned a few of the decisions that his father made when he was younger. However, as a parent, he now understands that sometimes hard decisions — that won’t always be popular — need to be made.
It seems as though Harry doesn’t want to end up like his dad. When he was young, he often felt like an outsider. He never wants his children to feel the same way, which is why he decided to step down from the Royal Family.
He explained that if any of the pain and suffering that he has felt in his life was due to past trauma on his own parents’ behalf, he wants to make sure that the cycle is broken so that his children never have to feel that same pain.
A Happy Family
More than anything, Harry and Meghan want to provide their children with the happiest childhood possible. In their eyes, stepping down from their Royal duties was the only option, even if it meant cutting ties with several family members.
Meghan Markle’s mom, Doria Ragland, has been very involved in Archie and Lili’s lives. While Doria has kept a low profile, Meghan’s dad, Thomas Markle, hasn’t been as quiet and has publicly criticized Meghan several times since she became a royal.
However, the public is more curious about Lili and Archie’s relationship with their great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. It’s heartwarming to know that the Queen did get to meet little Lilibet during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
The First Meeting
It has been confirmed that the first time the Queen met Princess Lili was during her Platinum Jubilee. This was a massive event for the Royal Family — and the world as a whole — which meant that everybody came together in order to celebrate.
Meghan and Prince Harry, accompanied by their two young children, made a special trip to London to show their unwavering support for the Queen, their beloved grandmother. This marked a significant and heartfelt family reunion during the grand celebration.
With this being said, it is also believed that the Queen facetimed her grand-son, as well as Meghan, at the time of her great-granddaughter’s birth in order to ‘meet’ Lili and check in on the family. However, the first face-to-face meeting occurred at the Jubilee.
A Great Visit
The Jubilee is also where the current King Charles met Lili for the first time. According to tabloids, he was over the moon to see just how much Archie had grown since the last time that they had seen each other.
According to the media, it was a fantastic meeting for the entire family. Everybody got on like a house on fire for the sake of the children. For that one day, it seemed as though things had returned to normal between all members of the Royal Family.
Sources close to the family have admitted that this was one of the best gatherings they had had in many years. Everybody seemed to have put their differences behind them for a single day.
An Emotional Occasion
The same sources also told tabloids that the occasion actually made Prince Charles slightly emotional, as he hadn’t been able to spend proper quality time with his grandchildren since the fallout with Harry and Meghan. Many people wonder how the fallout affected Prince Harry, but not many consider its impact on Prince Charles.
It must’ve been incredibly difficult to see his two children feuding and for his youngest child to shy away from his family altogether. More so, he had only had a few occasions to actually meet and interact with his beloved grandchildren.
For Prince Charles, meeting Lilibet felt like the start of something new. For that one glorious day, everybody focussed on the children instead of the drama surrounding the adults. Even though most of them knew that it would not last forever, they appreciated the moment for what it was.
Regret
Even though Harry and his father still had a strained relationship after this meeting, both were incredibly happy that it took place. Both parties let bygones be bygones for that one day, allowing so many family members to meet Lili for the first time and see how much Archie had grown.
If Harry had not attended the Platinum Jubilee, he would have always regretted that his daughter could not meet the woman that she was named after, as Queen Elizabeth passed away just a few months later. The Queen hardly attended any Jubilee events anyway because of her frail condition.
This trip to London took place at the perfect time. While nobody was to know that the Queen would pass away shortly after, the occasion felt momentous. The air had not been completely cleared, but everybody knew there was still love amongst them.