Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s kids’ lives aren’t as private as they once were. These days, the public’s getting more, albeit small, glimpses of Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3. So why the change? A royal commentator says it’s likely a strategy the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have adopted to avoid one “real danger” related to paparazzi. 

Showing Archie and Lili helps avoid potential paparazzi photos 

After Lili appeared to be holding hands with Meghan on the 43-year-old’s As Ever website, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond spoke to the U.K.’s Mirror about the apparent change in the Sussexes’ approach. 

“They are clearly fiercely protective of their children,” Bond said of Harry and Meghan. “And I think much of that stems from Harry’s experience of having cameras trained on him when he was a little boy—and ever since.” 

He and Meghan welcomed Archie in May 2018 when they were still senior royals living in England. Lili joined the family in June 2021 after they’d relocated to Montecito, Calif., and stepped away from royal life. 

“He showed his contempt for the cameras when he was very young, sticking his tongue out, as he sat in the back of a car with his mother [Princess Diana],” Bond said. “She told him to stop it very quickly!”

The commentator continued, saying that providing rare glimpses of Archie and Lili increases the public’s interest. So, to that end, Harry and Meghan will have to share more of their kids’ lives until they finally share photos. (The couple’s private 2024 Christmas card showing Archie and Lili appeared in Gloria Steinem’s home tour.) 

“Of course, seeing only glimpses of them makes them even more interesting to the public. And it brings extra attention to whichever video they appear in, which is commercially valuable,” Bond said. 

“Sooner or later, they are bound to release pictures of the children,” she explained. “Otherwise, there’s a real danger that paparazzi will follow them until they get what they want in the hope that a newspaper or magazine somewhere in the world will buy the pictures.”

Showing Archie and Lili more is a ‘very big deal’ because there’s no going back 

Speaking to OK! about Lili’s appearance on Meghan’s As Ever homepage, royal expert Duncan Larcombe described seeing the 3-year-old walking through the grass with her mom as unexpected.  

“Given Harry’s views on publicity, fans were probably shocked to see Lilibet again so soon,” Larcombe said. “If Harry could wave a magic wand, I think he’d want a world where his children would never be recognised [sic] or seen as public property in any way, because he hated that himself. He’s wrestled with it his whole life.” 

“But Meghan is building a brand,” he continued. “And that is somewhat at odds with a life out of the limelight. So this is where alarm bells might start to ring down the line for Harry. She’s sharing their children tentatively. But it’s a very big deal because it’s a tap they won’t get to turn off.”

“Being a royal isn’t like being a celebrity—you’re stuck with it,” the expert added. “I think Harry struggles to accept his kids are, to some extent, public property because they’re royal.”

Meghan might share more glimpses of her and Harry’s kids on ‘With Love, Meghan’

The slow drip of Archie and Lili content may soon become a downpour (at least by Sussex standards) when Meghan’s cooking and lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, premieres on March 4, 2025. 

After all, Netflix’s 2022 Harry & Meghan docuseries marked the most the public had ever seen of the royal kids thanks to videos and photos supplied by the couple. So, who’s to say Archie and Lili won’t help their mom out in the kitchen or garden at some point on With Love, Meghan? Or maybe show up in a few snaps taken by Meghan?

Not to mention, Meghan’s friends and loved ones are expected to appear on With Love, Meghan. There will be celebrity guests such as chef Roy Choi and Mindy Kaling. At one point, Meghan also cooks with her friend and fellow Suits alum Abigail Spencer. Harry is also set to make an appearance, as seen in the show’s trailer. As is Meghan’s beloved dog, Guy, whose death she announced in early 2025. 

With Love, Meghan hits Netflix on March 4, 2025.