Prince Harry and Meghan Markle yet to explain royal heritage to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have yet to explain their royal heritage to their children. Photo / Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are choosing to raise their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, away from the royal family, with a source revealing they are yet to explain their “royal roots” to the children.

One year after the birth of their first child, Archie, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January 2020 that they were resigning from royal duties, intending to split their time between the UK and North America.

“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” a statement to the public read.

The then monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, released a rare statement in the weeks after, announcing whilst she would have “preferred” the couple continue in their roles as senior royals, she said “we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family”.

Harry, Meghan and their two children at Frogmore Cottage. Photo / Netflix

By March, the couple had completed their final roles and began their transition to creating a more private lifestyle in Montecito, California.

One year later, they welcomed their daughter Lilibet and have become increasingly estranged from the royal family, due to their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview and Harry’s memoir, Spare. Some claim Harry and his brother, Prince William, haven’t spoken in months.

As for Archie and Lilibet’s relationship with Harry’s family, it’s understood the couple remain close with Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack, and a source claimed in June that King Charles “is absolutely committed to being present in all of his grandchildren’s lives”.

Archie and Lilibet are entitled to prince and princess titles now that their grandfather is the King. Photo / Twitter

However, the extent of his relationship with Archie and Lilibet remains unknown. As does William’s relationship with his niece and nephew.

Now, a close friend of the Californian-based royals has exclusively revealed to US Weekly that Harry and Meghan do not feel compelled to tell their two kids about their royal heritage right now.

“They’ll have those conversations in due time,” the source said when speaking to the news outlet.

The insider explained why the couple is in no rush, stating they want a childhood that is as normal as possible for the now five- and three-year-old siblings.

They also said the Sussex’s decision to keep their children in the US is due to the lack of security available to them in Harry’s homeland.

“William’s kids, for example, have way more safety, even though they’re recognisable. And the same doesn’t apply to Meghan and Harry’s children,” the source said.

“They know the world wants to see [them, but] I would expect them to live smaller lives until that gets sorted, if it ever does.”

NEW: In tonight’s ITV documentary on hacking, Prince Harry told us his granny, the late Queen Elizabeth, supported his legal battle with the tabloids.
‘We had many conversations before she passed. This is very much something that she supported. She knew how much this meant to me.… pic.twitter.com/cCwoOlj4aR

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) July 25, 2024

Harry recently told ITV in their Tabloids on Trial documentary that he will not allow his family to visit the UK at the moment as he believes it is too unsafe.

“It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read,” he said. “And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”

The prince is currently appealing a decision made by the British government in April which prevents him from paying for police protection detail when he visits his home country.