Prince Harry faces fresh questions in California as his plans for Archie and Lilibet appear to clash with his pledge to shield them from royal pressure

Prince Harry has spoken openly about growing up in a royal household where his life felt mapped out before him.

In interviews and his memoir Spare, he reflected on the pressures of a predetermined role and the painful experiences that shaped his youth.

The Duke of Sussex has said he wanted to “break the cycle” of what he called “genetic pain” for his own children, a motivation that partly influenced his move to the United States with Meghan Markle in 2021.

Harry’s childhood, marked by public scrutiny and personal loss, particularly the impact of his mother Princess Diana’s life and tragic death, left him determined not to follow the same path.

He has described the royal role as one he did not desire, realizing in his twenties that the pressures associated with his title were not for him.

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A Surprising Turn for Archie and Lilibet

Yet recent developments suggest Harry and Meghan may be charting a different path for their own children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.

Ahead of Christmas, the couple announced a shift in their charitable foundation, renaming it Archewell Philanthropies.

The statement highlighted a significant change: it explicitly included their children in the family’s philanthropic work, marking the first time Archie and Lilibet were featured in official communications about the couple’s plans.

This move surprised some of Harry’s old friends, who thought the couple was committed to keeping their children out of the public eye.

“I am genuinely confused,” one friend said.

“Harry and Meghan always insisted their children would make their own way without titles or expectations. It must be Meghan’s influence.”

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Christmas Cards, Social Media, and Public Visibility

The Archewell announcement was accompanied by other glimpses of the Sussexes’ approach to family life in the public sphere.

Meghan shared a festive family photo showing Archie hugging his father and Lilibet holding her mother’s hand on a sunlit bridge.

They also released a Christmas card and an end-of-year video showing the children participating in charitable activities, such as baking cookies for a local charity.

This increasing visibility comes despite Harry and Meghan’s public stance on limiting children’s exposure to social media.

The couple recently welcomed Australia’s ban on social media for children, even as their own offspring have appeared increasingly in online posts connected to Meghan’s lifestyle business, As Ever.

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Titles and Royal Expectations

The couple’s approach to titles has also evolved.

Initially, when Archie was born in 2019, he was deliberately kept from being styled as a prince to shield him from expectations.

Only close journalists knew the truth, and announcements were tightly managed.

But after Lilibet’s christening in 2023, the couple publicly acknowledged Archie as a prince and Lilibet as a princess, in coordination with Buckingham Palace.

A Sussexes spokesperson explained that the titles were a birthright, and the matter had been settled.

Some commentators suggest that the public acknowledgment of their children’s royal titles could also have commercial benefits, raising the possibility of future projects involving the titles’ visibility.

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The Royal Protection Question

Meanwhile, discussions are ongoing in the UK about whether Harry and Meghan will receive taxpayer-funded police protection when they return.

A new risk assessment is underway, despite Harry losing a High Court appeal in May.

If approved, it would allow the children to visit Britain for the first time in four years.

Observers suggest that these developments could mark the beginning of Harry and Meghan establishing a high-profile “royal” presence in the UK, a prospect that could challenge the traditional Royal Family dynamic.

Monarchists and royal watchers alike are watching closely, aware that the couple’s next moves could reshape public perceptions of the monarchy.

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