The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, May 7, 2025--

[hereditarytitles]

Although these children grow up in luxury and are loved by their parents, I still feel sorry for them because they have no positive relationship with either their father's or mother's side of the family (except Meghan's mother), neither aunts, uncles nor cousins. I found it nice and important in my childhood to meet up with relatives from time to time, and if you had cousins of the same age, it was fun. Both children seem to resemble Harry a lot.

 

[Hallo girl]

Although these children grow up in luxury and are loved by their parents, I still feel sorry for them because they have no positive relationship with either their father's or mother's side of the family (except Meghan's mother), neither aunts, uncles nor cousins. I found it nice and important in my childhood to meet up with relatives from time to time, and if you had cousins of the same age, it was fun. Both children seem to resemble Harry a lot.

Yes the children are missing out in building relationships with their cousins, who obviously spend time together, just because we do not always see the evidence i.e.film or photographs. An example is Louis's reaction when he spotted Wolfie at one of the church events , also Charlotte and Mia appear to have a strong bond. Although living abroad, Archie and Lily could have been part of all that, which IMO would have been good for them to understand the family they are part of while retaining an element of a private life. Does Harry really expect his children to turn 18 and decide by the way we are going to start doing royal duties, because their mother will not be any help, she couldn't curtsey, although she could in an episode of SUITS.

 

[Hallo girl]

All this reminds me of an article in a newspaper some time ago, after January 2020, when it was reported that the couple were going to be doing a reality show and filming their life, It was put down as fake news , all rubbish, etc etc.
It was not totally accurate ,that is correct, but not far off it, somebody has given the reporter, at the time ,the nod that they were filming all various parts of their lives. then assumed a reality show. Did Harry not make a comment in either an interview or the book, I cannot recall where, that his life was like the Truman Show, and he wanted away from that.
I just think it is all really sad.

 

[Queen Claude]

Lili appears to have Harry's shade of red hair, and Archie has the Markle shade of red hair.

 

[zarat]

I think that the best birthday's gift for Lili would be a good iron (because definitely this family is lacking such device in their big mansion) and also a good comb and perhaps some shoes... Who let a child walking barefoot in public place where glass can be present or something else with a sharp edge?.... Perhaps her parents were so busy with organaizng this trip (I mean deciding how huge film crew should be, how many bodygards to take, how many big SUVS will be enough to guarentee their privacy) that they forget to take shoes, comb or a decent dress for Lili... If the parents are too busy to take care of child's basic needs perhaps they should delegate this to a competent nanny?

 

[tommy100]

They are well and truly "merching" the kids IMO. The last two events posted have all been focussed on the children, now matter that they have hidden their faces. So it is clear whilst they will hide their faces, the children and their lives are now a way to boost Meghan (and Harry's?) PR.

 

[carlota]

I found the pictures of their Disney trip quite sweet. Something the average American would do, although perhaps with some extra privileges (it looks for example as if they are meeting Elsa in private which I don’t know if it is an option for the average person?).

Having said that their recent sharing of photos of the kids and teasing with them with pictures of them from behind / pictures with faces covered etc makes me think they are waiting for the right publication to pay them enough money to do an exclusive interview with photos. What’s strange too is that in the past they’ve shown some pictures of the kids faces, sporadically, so the rules on when they share or don’t share their faces are blurry to me.

Yes it’s sad the kids don’t have a relationship with either their moms or their dads side of the family. It seems they are just close to Doria and perhaps to M’s niece but that’s about it which is a shame. Growing up with cousins and playing together is such a fun part of childhood. It seems that they are closer to their parents “friends” and their kids like the Serena Williams etc than their own families.

 

[Lee-Z]

We've seen how angry and irrational Harry gets when talking about the world where he comes from in that recent BBC interview; if thinking about his past and/or his family has that effect on him, i think it is much better at this point for the kids to stay in LA and play with celebrity friends' kids, rather than with cousins.
I too have good memories of playing with cousins, we still meet up once a year and still have the same sense of humor and such...but that's fine if you have good family dynamics.
Not all families people were born in to are good families to be around.
Whether the things Harry claims actually happened (personally i think not) Harry seems easily triggered by his family and that is not a good mood to expose his kids to

just my 2 cts

 

[RoyalNight]

(...)Although living abroad, Archie and Lily could have been part of all that, which IMO would have been good for them to understand the family they are part of while retaining an element of a private life. Does Harry really expect his children to turn 18 and decide by the way we are going to start doing royal duties, because their mother will not be any help, she couldn't curtsey, although she could in an episode of SUITS.

Funny thing, with a born and bred royal father and a mother educated in international affairs the kids have no one knowledgeable to properly teach them about British royal customs

 

[zarat]

Coming back to their trip to Disneyland another constatation comes to my mind. When I look at the photos I don't think it was about celebrating Lili's birthday.... Why? Who's in the center of the photos?- Meghan. Who has a big rictus smile plastered on her face?- Meghan. Why we cannot say if the children are smiling? Because as usual they have their faces covered... Who is wearing big white shirt to be sure to be center of attention? Meghan. In my opinion the trip was to present Meghan as caring, loving and having fun mum. As usual its' a photo opportunity for Meghan when only STAR is relevant-> Meghan herself....

​

 

[hereditarytitles]

I agree with your observation. On the other hand, how can Lilbet, the birthday girl, be in the spotlight if her parents don't want to show her face? And they don't want to, at least not yet. How would it look if all the photos only showed the little girl but not her face, hidden with a heart, as is common nowadays? That might annoy their followers even more
I sometimes don't understand all that hiding. We always see pictures of royal children, no matter from what country and we enjoy watching pics of them.
And those children obviously are not in danger, because pics of them are shown.

 

[RoyalNight]

That’s what happens when you want to make money off of your kids, but still pretend you care about their privacy

 

[tommy100]

I thought exactly that when I saw the picture of them on the car ride, Harry and Meghan were in the front with Archie - which on one hand I get because I presume whatever ride it was maybe was for Archie. But why leave Lili in the back with a nanny(?) and bodyguard(?) while both parents ride up front with Archie. That seems very odd to me as I'd expect one parent to sit with each child personally. I wondered if it was because the picture works better for PR when both parents are at the front and clearly visible.

It just seems a very sad life to me to be using your children for PR opportunities, even more so when you have talked and talked about their privacy. Yes you are hiding their faces but still you are using their special moments to increase your own PR.

 

[RoyalNight]

But we didn’t see Lili in the ride, did we? She probably waited that one out. She might have not met height/age criteria or was tired. Nothing scandals here.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

An interesting detail from reporter Camilla Tominey, who has a history of well-informed reporting and has been speaking to unnamed palace aides:

Mindful of the Duke’s recent televised olive branch, the palace has even carried out discrete [sic] polling to find out how many people were aware of the BBC interview (over 80 per cent of Brits weren’t).​

More of the thoughts of the palace aides, as reported in the piece:

Serious concerns remain, however, about the intimate contents of any meeting ending up in the public domain, which is the main reason the King is no longer taking his youngest son’s calls.

The irony of the palace’s predicament has not been lost on aides who had grown used to the Duke regularly complaining about stories ending up in the press he claimed had been leaked by royal staff. Eyebrows were raised when the Sussexes’ spokesman briefed that they had not been invited to the King’s 75th birthday celebrations in 2023 amid reports they had snubbed the event.​

Talk of whether relations will ever be restored between the Sussexes and the Windsors is not just a media obsession. It remains a topic of intense discussion behind palace gates where aides have been trying to map a way forward as the King, 76, continues to recover from cancer. Mindful of the Duke’s recent televised olive branch, the palace has even carried out discrete [sic] polling to find out how many people were aware of the BBC interview (over 80 per cent of Brits weren’t). Yet there is an awareness that the impasse cannot continue forever, not least if it starts to reflect badly on the King.

[...] Equally exploratory have been discussions about if or when father and son could ever be reunited, with some mooting that the next Invictus Games could provide an opportunity when it is held in Birmingham in 2027. [...]

While exasperated by the Duke’s insistence that his father could have stepped in and prevented the Royal and VIP Executive Committee from downgrading his son’s security, aides are believed to be looking at ways the family could be enveloped into King’s security arrangements were he to make an official royal visit to the games.​

 

[Lee-Z]

The interview was an olivebranch?
i wouldn't have guessed from the things Harry said, but in a way it's good if sources arounf the RF consider it to be, as i could totally see K.Charles wanting to be on speaking terms with Harry again

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

An interesting detail from reporter Camilla Tominey, who has a history of well-informed reporting and has been speaking to unnamed palace aides:

Mindful of the Duke’s recent televised olive branch, the palace has even carried out discrete [sic] polling to find out how many people were aware of the BBC interview (over 80 per cent of Brits weren’t).​

More of the thoughts of the palace aides, as reported in the piece:

Serious concerns remain, however, about the intimate contents of any meeting ending up in the public domain, which is the main reason the King is no longer taking his youngest son’s calls.​

​

The irony of the palace’s predicament has not been lost on aides who had grown used to the Duke regularly complaining about stories ending up in the press he claimed had been leaked by royal staff. Eyebrows were raised when the Sussexes’ spokesman briefed that they had not been invited to the King’s 75th birthday celebrations in 2023 amid reports they had snubbed the event.​

Talk of whether relations will ever be restored between the Sussexes and the Windsors is not just a media obsession. It remains a topic of intense discussion behind palace gates where aides have been trying to map a way forward as the King, 76, continues to recover from cancer. Mindful of the Duke’s recent televised olive branch, the palace has even carried out discrete [sic] polling to find out how many people were aware of the BBC interview (over 80 per cent of Brits weren’t). Yet there is an awareness that the impasse cannot continue forever, not least if it starts to reflect badly on the King.​

​

[...] Equally exploratory have been discussions about if or when father and son could ever be reunited, with some mooting that the next Invictus Games could provide an opportunity when it is held in Birmingham in 2027. [...]​

​

While exasperated by the Duke’s insistence that his father could have stepped in and prevented the Royal and VIP Executive Committee from downgrading his son’s security, aides are believed to be looking at ways the family could be enveloped into King’s security arrangements were he to make an official royal visit to the games.​

Thanks for sharing this! Surprisingly, I was able to read the entire article (and the comments) when I clicked on “comments” at the top. I feel for King Charles who can’t have a relationship with his son nor his grandchildren due to the mess created by H&M. I also feel for those innocent children

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I agree with your observation. On the other hand, how can Lilbet, the birthday girl, be in the spotlight if her parents don't want to show her face? And they don't want to, at least not yet. How would it look if all the photos only showed the little girl but not her face, hidden with a heart, as is common nowadays? That might annoy their followers even more
I sometimes don't understand all that hiding. We always see pictures of royal children, no matter from what country and we enjoy watching pics of them.
And those children obviously are not in danger, because pics of them are shown.

They will show the children full body view for the first time at an (paid) occasion with maximal public attention - possibly an interview/homestory when harming the royal family at the same time, a la Oprah.
They are keeping that ace in the hole for now as after that, there is not much left.

 

[Sunnystar]

An interesting detail from reporter Camilla Tominey, who has a history of well-informed reporting and has been speaking to unnamed palace aides:

Internet Archive link - Why Harry’s hopes for reconciliation with the King are doomed

 

[Toledo]

The interview was an olive branch?
i wouldn't have guessed from the things Harry said, but in a way it's good if sources around the RF consider it to be, as i could totally see K.Charles wanting to be on speaking terms with Harry again

There is now a parallel on how Harry behaves toward his ill father with how his wife ignores her own sick father pleas to forgive him. From Harry's delusional and entitled perspective on that interview, the olive branch is not for his father to grab but extended from his hands as a rope for king Charles to climb on.

 

[Alison H]

It's a sad situation, especially as two young children are involved. But Harry's shown over and over again that he can't be trusted, and neither the King nor the Princess of Wales will want their private medical information blabbed to the world.

 

[tihkon2]

That reporter is absolutely delsuional if she's calling that car-wreck of an interview an "olive branch". I mean this seriously. How can anyone that is not a "Team Sussex" cheerleader think that was in any way intended to make peace with the King.

 

[Toledo]

It's a sad situation, especially as two young children are involved. But Harry's shown over and over again that he can't be trusted, and neither the King nor the Princess of Wales will want their private medical information blabbed to the world.

Harry's mouth now has a mind of it's own, shared with his foot that he often puts in that mouth of his. I agree, he can't be trusted around the royal family not now, not tomorrow, not ever.

 

[Hallo girl]

They will show the children full body view for the first time at an (paid) occasion with maximal public attention - possibly an interview/homestory when harming the royal family at the same time, a la Oprah.
They are keeping that ace in the hole for now as after that, there is not much left.

I agree that that coming soon to a TV or possibly a magazine spread with photographs near you will be the follow up to Oprah, their truth which will include the children, an attempt to debunk the recent bad publicity.

 

[Ghost]

But we didn’t see Lili in the ride, did we? She probably waited that one out. She might have not met height/age criteria or was tired. Nothing scandals here.

I think she was in the back, between the bodyguard and the nanny? I can make out the top of her head.

 

[RoyalNight]

I think she was in the back, between the bodyguard and the nanny? I can make out the top of her head.

Or that was a different family.

 

[TLLK]

Or that was a different family.

Considering the Sussexes' security concerns, I can state with certainty that they would have not been placed with other guests who are not part of their party. I've had family and friends who are former Disneyland cast members and who have accompanied VIPs: Swedish Royal Family, the late President George H.W. Bush and family, and the Eisners. Trust me when I say that the Sussexes would have only been placed in an attraction vehicle accompanied by those in their party.

 

[hereditarytitles]

Considering the Sussexes' security concerns, I can state with certainty that they would have not been placed with other guests who are not part of their party. I've had family and friends who are former Disneyland cast members and who have accompanied VIPs: Swedish Royal Family, the late President George H.W. Bush and family, and the Eisners. Trust me when I say that the Sussexes would have only been placed in an attraction vehicle accompanied by those in their party.

Given that they had a “special tour” of Disneyland with their family, you really can't blame them. Even if they are not as well known in the US as they are in Europe, I can understand that they wouldn't want to mingle with the general public when visiting Disneyland.
I can imagine that there are thousands of people there with their families. If I had the opportunity to take my children there on a private visit, I would prefer to do that too.
We don't have Disneyland in Germany, but we do have something similar nearby called “Phantasialand.” We went there several times when our children were at the age where they loved it, but it was exhausting because you had to stand in line for every attraction, which of course you did so as not to spoil the fun for the children.

 

[TLLK]

Given that they had a “special tour” of Disneyland with their family, you really can't blame them. Even if they are not as well known in the US as they are in Europe, I can understand that they wouldn't want to mingle with the general public when visiting Disneyland.
I can imagine that there are thousands of people there with their families. If I had the opportunity to take my children there on a private visit, I would prefer to do that too.
We don't have Disneyland in Germany, but we do have something similar nearby called “Phantasialand.” We went there several times when our children were at the age where they loved it, but it was exhausting because you had to stand in line for every attraction, which of course you did so as not to spoil the fun for the children.

Yes the Sussexes would not have to have waited in line at all. They would not even have to wait with those guests who purchased "Lighting Lane" passes. They would have been escorted to the front of the line through another entrance/exit. Their own private security as well as Disneyland Parks security and cast members from Guest Relations would have kept the public away from them. It's likely they even used the backstage paths to get from one themed land to another.
Also they likely took advantage of "Magic Hour" which allows for access prior to the regular opening times.

 

[Alison H]

Given that they had a “special tour” of Disneyland with their family, you really can't blame them. Even if they are not as well known in the US as they are in Europe, I can understand that they wouldn't want to mingle with the general public when visiting Disneyland.
I can imagine that there are thousands of people there with their families. If I had the opportunity to take my children there on a private visit, I would prefer to do that too.

Me too. A security guard wouldn't let me join the queue to have your photo taken with Mickey Mouse, because he said that there were too many people waiting already. Not that I'm bitter about it or anything ....!¬