Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have long kept their children's faces hidden online. While Meghan has a major social media presence, any image she shares of Archie and Lilibet always obscures their faces, whether by angle or emoji. Harry, however, had no choice in being photographed as a child, being the son of King Charles and Princess Diana.
Expert explains Harry's reluctance
According to The Sun's royal editor Matt Wilkinson, speaking on the A Right Royal podcast, Harry is hypersensitive about his children being photographed without consent. Matt said: "My understanding of this, or up to a certain stage, is that Harry would much rather his children were not seen. He doesn't want them to be tapped." He added: "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."
Matt also noted that Meghan, having grown up differently in California, might not want to keep the children hidden. He said: "She doesn't want to hide them away and we've seen this, haven't we, more and more with the use of Lilibet and Archie."
Harry's childhood experiences
Harry has spoken openly about his childhood, notably on the Armchair Expert podcast in 2021, describing his life as a "mix between 'The Truman Show' and being in a zoo." He said: "The biggest issue for me was that being born into it you inherit the risk, you inherit the risk that comes with it — you inherit every element of it without choice and [the media] feel an ownership over you."
He identified three moments of feeling completely helpless: being chased by paparazzi as a kid with his mother, flying an Apache helicopter in Afghanistan, and an unspecified moment with his wife. He added: "And those were the moments in my life where, yeah, feeling helpless hurts. It really hurts."
Protecting the children
Both Harry and Meghan have campaigned for safer online spaces for children. A source close to Harry told People magazine in 2024: "Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats. He wants them to lead as normal a life as possible without the fear of kidnapping or harm." The friend added: "As a dad and husband, Harry is determined to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself."
