Everything to know about Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's 2 kids

Business Insider

23-05-2025

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children might be royals, but their childhoods differ from those of other British princes and princesses.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been raising Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 3, in California following their step back from the monarchy, giving their children almost entirely private childhoods that most royals don't get.
Here's everything to know about Archie and Lilibet.
Prince Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
Archie was born May 6, 2019, at the Portland Hospital in London, just shy of a year after Harry and Meghan's May 2018 wedding. The couple announced his birth on their Sussex Royal Instagram account, which they stopped using in 2020, with a graphic that read, "It's a boy!"
"We are pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their firstborn child in the early morning on May 6th, 2019," the post said. "Their Royal Highnesses' son weighs 7lbs. 3oz."
"The Duchess and baby are both healthy and well, and the couple thank members of the public for their shared excitement and support during this very special time in their lives," the statement said.
Harry and Meghan broke tradition after Archie's birth, choosing not to do a photocall when they left the hospital as Princess Diana and Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, did when their children were born. Instead, they introduced Archie to the world with a photocall at St. George's Hall at Windsor Castle on May 8. They announced his name via Instagram the same day.
In 2020, the couple revealed Archie's name was inspired by the Greek word "arche," which means "source of action." They named their charitable organization Archewell for the same reason. Meanwhile, Harrison traditionally means "son of Harry," making it a natural choice for Archie's middle name.
Archie was seventh in the line of succession for the British throne when he was born, but he moved up to the sixth spot after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022. Archie was christened in July 2019 at the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle, with members of the royal family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, in attendance.
While they were still working royals, Archie joined his parents on a royal tour of Africa in September 2019 when he was just 4 months old, meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu during his first royal engagement. Meghan later revealed Archie's nursery caught fire during the tour, though he wasn't hurt.
Harry and Meghan also shared a candid holiday card that featured a close-up of baby Archie in December 2019.
Harry and Meghan decided to keep Archie out of the public eye since they stepped back as senior royals and relocated to the US in 2020. He hasn't joined them for public appearances, living out his childhood privately in Montecito, California.
The couple shared a few glimpses of Archie in their 2022 Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," and he has appeared in a handful of Meghan's Instagram posts since January 2025. Her posts don't include his face, though.
Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor
Meghan and Harry shared they were expecting their second child in February 2021, revealing in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that they were having a daughter. In an essay for The New York Times, Meghan said she had a miscarriage between her pregnancies with Archie and Lilibet in July 2020.
Harry and Meghan welcomed Lili on June 4, 2021, at 11:40 a.m., as the couple shared in a statement on their Archewell website two days after her birth.
In the statement, the pair said that Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California. Lilibet is the first member of the British royal family to be born in the United States.
At the time of her birth, she was eighth in the line of succession, but as of 2022, Lilibet is seventh in line for the British throne.
Harry and Meghan said that Lili's name celebrates her grandmother and great-grandmother. Lilibet was Queen Elizabeth's family nickname, while Lili's middle name honors Princess Diana, who died when Harry was 12.
"On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili," the couple said in their statement. "She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we've felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not release a photo of Lili's face alongside the announcement. They shared the first public photo of her face on their 2021 Christmas card.
Lilibet was christened in the US in March 2023 during an intimate ceremony performed by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, which the royal family didn't attend. Tyler Perry, who allowed Meghan and Harry to stay in his house when they first moved to California in 2020, is her godfather.
Harry and Meghan released another photo of Lilibet for her first birthday, sharing a snap of the young royal at Windsor Castle's Frogmore Cottage.
The Sussex family traveled to the United Kingdom in June 2022 for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. During the visit, Lilibet met her great-grandmother for the first and only time. She also met her grandfather, King Charles.
Like her brother, Lili made minor cameos in "Harry & Meghan" and appears on her mother's Instagram, though her face isn't visible in the posts. Meghan also released a recipe for Chantilly Lili, a dessert named after her daughter, in April 2025.
Archie and Lili's titles changed after Queen Elizabeth II died
Archie and Lilibet didn't have prince and princess titles when they were born, instead being referred to as Master Archie and Miss Lilibet on the line of succession.
The Letters Patent, a royal decree made by King George V in 1917, states that only the current monarch's children and grandchildren and the children of the Prince of Wales can use a prince or princess title.
At the time of their births, Archie and Lili weren't the grandchildren of the sovereign or children of the Prince of Wales, making them ineligible for prince or princess titles.
However, Meghan also said in her and Harry's 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey that while she was pregnant with Archie, some members of the royal family "were saying they didn't want him to be a prince," which she indicated may have been because Archie is biracial.
Following the interview, Buckingham Palace said in a statement, "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan."
"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning," it said. "While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."
After Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022, King Charles III ascended the throne, making Archie and Lili the grandchildren of the British monarch. As such, they automatically inherited prince and princess titles, per the Letters Patent.
Meghan and Harry referred to one of their children with their new title in March 2023, as a spokesperson for the couple called their daughter "Princess Lilibet Diana" in a statement to Business Insider about Lili's christening.
On March 9, Buckingham Palace updated the line of succession on its website, officially calling Harry's children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet for the first time.
Although their titles and place in the line of succession changed, Archie and Lili aren't publicly known to have a relationship with the rest of the royal family. Harry and Meghan's relationship with the royal family is still strained, and in a May 2, 2025, interview with BBC News, Harry said his father isn't speaking to him due to disputes over security for the Sussexes when they're in the UK.