Prince Harry's experience in the spotlight has reportedly made him hypersensitive to the idea of his two children being photographed without their consent, a source has revealed. The 41-year-old grew up in front of the cameras, with his father and older brother, at the time, first and second in line to the throne. Meghan Markle, however, wanted to be in the spotlight, with her acting career starting long before she joined the Royal Family. Their differing experiences have reportedly shaped how they both feel about Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, now aged seven and five, being in the spotlight.
Royal Editor's Insight
Appearing on A Right Royal podcast, The Sun's royal editor Matt Wilkinson 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 papped."
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."
Meghan, on the other hand, has a different view. He added: "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 Past Comments on Royal Upbringing
Harry previously spoke about growing up as a member of the Royal Family on Dax Shepard and Monica Padman’s Armchair Expert podcast in 2021. He, at the time, 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".
Recent Public Appearances
Both Archie and Lilibet have been frequently featured in Instagram photos shared by Meghan since her return to the platform at the beginning of 2025. The family made a recent five-day visit to the UK in July to mark the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games. Following the visit, Meghan shared a few pictures from their trip - with many featuring both of her children.
