Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are sending contradictory messages when it comes to their constant desire for privacy, especially when it comes to their children.
The Duchess of Sussex shared an intimate glimpse into her and husband Prince Harry’s domestic bliss after their move back to the UK on Instagram Sunday, which featured both their 5-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet, and their 7-year-old son, Prince Archie.
But the move is “striking” in its “hypocrisy,” according to royal commentator Kinsey Schofield.
“If privacy is genuinely the priority, the most effective strategy is simple… stop broadcasting your family life to millions of strangers,” Schofield exclusively tells Page Six. “Every hyper-curated glimpse of the children, the dogs, the countryside, and their domestic routine invites more attention, more questions, and more interest in where and how they are living.”
Meghan Markle’s Instagram video of her and her family back in the UK that she posted Sunday is hypocritical given their desire for privacy, royal commentator Kinsey Schoefield tells Page Six.
Schoefield points out that the couple’s children — Princess Lillibet and Prince Archie — are featured despite Harry previously speaking out about unwanted media attention as a child.
The host of YouTube’s “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered” adds, “You cannot deliberately feed that machine and then act astonished or outraged when people want to know more.”
The royal commentator also points out that Markle has spoken out publicly about the dangers of social media when it comes to children, but continues to show Lilibet and Archie on her Instagram.
“Archie and Lili are too young to meaningfully consent to having their voices, activities, and private family moments broadcast to millions of strangers,” she says. “Hiding their faces does not suddenly eliminate the attention it generates around them.”
Schoefield specifically calls out Harry’s role in his wife’s social media moves.
Schoefield says, “You cannot deliberately feed that machine and then act astonished or outraged when people want to know more.”
She also noted about Markle not showing her kids’ faces, “Hiding their faces does not suddenly eliminate the attention it generates around them.”
“He has spent years describing the damage he believes media attention caused him as a child, yet he is now participating in packaging portions of his own children’s childhood for public consumption,” she says.
“You cannot spend years telling the world that unwanted attention traumatized you and then actively manufacture public interest in the private lives of your own children,” she continues.
Royal commentator Tom Sykes shares a similar sentiment to Page Six, expressing that he felt the video was meant to “sell a narrative of glossy family perfection,” and finds the children’s inclusion in it “jarring.”
“Especially when you look at Harry‘s comments in a 2017 video which he recorded for the Heads Together charity in which he said said that one of the big problems with social media was that people portrayed a perfect life and then you can feel inadequate when you look at their fake portrayal of their perfect life,” he tells us.
The video showed a “hyper-curated” glimpse at their life back in the UK meant to generate more attention, she also told us.
Markle and Harry made the shocking decision to move back to the UK last month after previously stepping back as senior members of the royal family in 2020 and moving to Montecito, California,
“Even Harry was able to understand this in 2017 how damaging and fake this kind of performative video is and yet now he is doing the very same thing himself,” he continues.
In Markle’s Instagram video Friday, she shared footage of her and Harry holding hands while on a walk, and also showed Lilibet riding her bike alongside Archie running beside her.
She later showed one of her children putting their feet in front of a cozy fire, but was careful not to show her kids’ faces.
The former “Suits” star previously voiced her privacy concerns about Lilibet and Archie in a 2022 interview with the Cut, specifically, paparazzi potentially taking pics of them while she picks and drops them off if they were to attend school in the UK.
“Sorry, I have a problem with that,” she said at the time. “That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”
The couple have since enrolled their children in a ritzy $35,000-a-year prep school.
Markle previously shared her concerns about her kids going to school in the UK in a 2022 interview with the Cut, noting she has a problem with paparazzi taking pics of them while she drops them off and picks them up.
The couple will remain non-working royals after their move back, Harry’s father, King Charles, stated, in a letter earliier this month. They’re pictured here alongside his now estranged brother, Prince William, and sister-in-law Kate Middleton.
Schofield told Page Six earlier this month that local parents have already been warned about new strict rules surrounding the young royals.
“The message sent to families essentially said that, from time to time, some families joining the school may attract a greater level of public or media interest,” Schofield said.
She also shared, “It then reminded parents and carers not to photograph or film other children without permission, or share photographs, information or details about pupils or their families on social media.”
Earlier this month, Harry’s father, King Charles, made it clear in a latter that his son and daughter-in-law were still not working royals, despite moving back to the UK. The couple stepped back as senior members of the royal family in January 2020, and moved to Montecito, California.
The letter said Harry, 41, and Markle, 45, cannot use their titles of His and Her Royal Highness and are “private citizens with commercial and charitable interests,” a top palace official told the BBC.
Meghan Markle Shares First Life Update Since Returning to U.K. With Prince Harry and Kids Archie, Lilibet
Weeks after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry moved back to the U.K. with their kids Archie and Lilibet, the Duchess of Sussex shared her first glimpse into the family’s new way of life.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s return to the U.K. has been royally sweet.
And the proof is in the pudding as the Duchess of Sussex shared her first life update since moving back to her husband’s native England with their kids Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5.
In a video shared to Meghan’s Instagram Sept. 13, the As Ever founder shared snippets of her family’s time back across the pond, which was accompanied by a British flag and red heart emoji written over top.
The 35-second clip opens with Meghan, 45, and Harry, 41, holding hands as they enjoy a stroll through a forest. The video then transitions to one of their kids warming their toes by a fire.
And if that wasn’t cozy enough, Meghan also shared a video of herself splashing around in the mud as she wears a pair of green rainboots.
Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” then began to play as Lilibet was seen riding her bicycle as Archie runs alongside her.
And family memories are never complete without Meghan and Harry’s dogs Pula and Mia.
Indeed, their pups got acquainted with their new home as one of them sniffed through the grass while Harry and his little ones sat in a nearby canoe as they prepared for a fishing lesson.
Six years after the couple moved their young family from England to California, the pair officially returned to Harry’s home country on Aug. 26.
In light of the couple’s return, King Charles issued a letter of guidance on Sept. 7 confirming that the move would pose “no change” to Harry and Meghan’s status as non-working royals, which they previously agreed to when they moved to the United States in 2020.
The letter, per the BBC, was created after “a number of requests” were received asking for clarification on Harry and Meghan’s status, which was confirmed to be “akin to private citizens.”
But the letter came as a shock to the Sussexes, with a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan telling the BBC that the couple was a “little surprised not to have been told about this in advance.”
E! News previously reached out to representatives for Harry and Meghan for additional comment but did not hear back.
Before the move, Harry was adamant that he would never move his family back to England due to security concerns.
“I can’t see a world where I would be bringing my wife and kids back to the U.K. at this point,” he told the BBC in May 2025. “And the things that they’re going to miss is well, everything. I love my country. I always have, despite what some people in that country have done.”
Meghan also expressed her worry when it came to raising her little ones in the U.K., particularly with school pick-up and drop-off becoming a photo opportunity.
“Sorry, I have a problem with that,” she told The Cut in 2022. “That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child.”
Keep reading for everything Harry and Meghan have said about parenthood…
Uncle Harry
“I don’t think you can force these things. It will happen when it’s gonna happen,” he told Sky News back in 2015 when asked if the birth of his niece Princess Charlotte made him think about settling down. “Of course, I would love to have kids right now, but there’s a process that one has to go through.”
Planning for Her Little One
Years ago, Meghan even made a purchase with her future daughter in mind. “I’ve always coveted the Cartier French Tank watch. When I found out Suits had been picked up for our third season—which, at the time, felt like such a milestone—I totally splurged and bought the two-tone version,” she recalled to Hello! in 2015. “I had it engraved on the back, ‘To M.M. From M.M.’ and I plan to give it to my daughter one day.”
Waiting for That Special Someone
Fatherhood is a subject that—along with marriage—has long trailed Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana’s younger son. “There have been moments through life, especially when we do a tour abroad, when I think, ‘I’d love to have kids now’… And then there are other times when I bury my head in the sand going, ‘All right, don’t need kids!’ There’s no rush. I tell you what: There’s been times I’ve been put off having children,” he admitted to People back in May 2016, shortly before meeting his future wife.
Looking Towards the Future
In 2017, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their engagement and sat for their first joint interview. Naturally, the topic of future kids came up. “Of course. You know, I think you know one step at a time, and hopefully, we’ll start a family in the near future,” Prince Harry said at the time with Meghan smiling beside him.
Joys of Motherhood
“It’s magic,” Meghan said about becoming a mum following Archie’s birth. “It’s pretty amazing and, I mean, I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy.”
Proud Pops
Following Archie’s birth in May 2019, Harry gushed, “It’s been the most amazing experience I can ever possibly imagine. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension but we’re both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all the love and support from everybody out there. It’s been amazing so we just wanted to share this with everybody.”
Changed for Good
Harry reflected on the lessons he’s learned since becoming a parent during a speech at the National Youth Mentoring Summit in 2019. He shared, “I’m struck by a few things today, most of which is the power of the invisible role model. The person who may be sitting here today that doesn’t realize that someone looks up to them that—for that person—you inspire them to be kinder, better, greater, more successful, more impactful. Perhaps it’s the newfound clarity I have as a father knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behavior, one day maybe even following in my footsteps.”
Doting on Archie
“Our little man is our No. 1 priority but then our work after that is the second priority,” Prince Harry shared during a speaking engagement in 2020, “and we’re just doing everything we can to try and play our part in trying to make the world a better place.”
Archie’s Firsts
Harry and Meghan found a silver lining amid the coronavirus pandemic through baby Archie. “In so many ways we are fortunate to be able to have this time to watch him grow, and in the absence of COVID, we would be traveling and working more externally,” Meghan shared in October 2020. “We’d miss a lot of those moments. So I think it’s been a lot of really good family time.”
Harry added, “We were both there for Archie’s first steps, his first run, his first fall, everything.”
Awaiting Her Baby Girl’s Arrival
In May 2021, Meghan made a rare TV appearance during Global Citizen’s VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World special. The former actress opened up about her pregnancy and shared her excitement about raising a daughter. “My husband and I are thrilled to soon be welcoming a daughter. It’s a feeling of joy we share with millions of other families around the world,” she said at the time. “When we think of her, we think of all the young women and girls around the globe who must be given the ability and the support to lead us forward.”
She added, “Their future leadership depends on the decisions we make and the actions we take now to set them up, and set all of us up, for a successful, equitable and compassionate tomorrow.”
Raising the Future
Meghan makes a brief cameo in her husband’s Apple TV+ series with Oprah, The Me You Can’t See. During her appearance, the California native seemingly pays tribute to her growing family with a shirt that reads, “Raising the Future.”
Party of Four!
The couple welcomed their baby girl. In a statement shared on their Archewell Foundation page, they gushed, “On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”
Book Worm
On June 8, 2021, Meghan will release her first children’s book, The Bench, which is a celebration of fatherhood from a mother’s perspective. Of her new project, she said in a press release in May, “The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born. That poem became this story.”
Reflecting on Those Early Days
In an October 2021 letter to then-House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer explaining her support for mandatory paid parental leave in the U.S., Meghan wrote of being “overjoyed” but “overwhelmed” when her daughter was born when the pandemic was still preventing business as usual in hospitals, schools, etc.
“Like fewer parents, we weren’t confronted with the harsh reality of either spending those first few critical months with our baby or going back to work,” she wrote. “We knew we could take her home, and in that vital (and sacred) stage, devote any and everything to our kids and to our family. We knew that by doing so we wouldn’t have to make impossible choices about childcare, work, and medical care that so many have to make every single day.”
Meghan continued, “No family should be faced with these decisions. No family should have to choose between earning a living and having the freedom to take care of their child (or a loved one, or themselves, as we would see with a comprehensive paid leave plan).”
Screen Star
On TODAY in April 2022, Harry shared that separating parenting from his work-at-home routine was pretty much a nonstarter.
“Archie spends more time interrupting our Zoom calls than anybody else,” he said. “He also gets them often as well, so that’s a nice thing.”
Harry noted that he could already see his own sly sense of humor in his son. “I always try and keep that,” he added. “I think that the cheekiness is something that keeps you alive.”
Raising Kids in the Digital Age
Meghan admitted she was concerned for her—and everybody else’s—kids in the age of social media.
“Being a mom is the most important thing in my entire life—outside, of course, being a wife to this one,” she said, gesturing to Harry, during an October 2023 talk at the Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit: Mental Wellness in the Digital Age, part of Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day
“But I will say,” she added, “I feel fortunate that our children are at an age, again quite young, so this isn’t in our immediate future, but I also feel frightened at how it’s continuing to change and this will be in front of us.”
Noting that “the days are long but the years are short” as a parent, Meghan continued, “Everyone is affected by the online world and social media. We all just want to feel safe.”
My Mother, My Mirror
“Our daughter, Lili, she’s much, much tinier than you guys,” Meghan told a class of kindergarteners during a May 2024 visit to Lightway Academy in Abuja, Nigeria. “She’s about to turn 3. And a few weeks ago, she looked at me and she would just see the reflection in my eyes. And she [goes], ‘Mama, I see me in you.'”
“Now, she was talking really literally,” Meghan added. “But I hung onto those words in a very different way. And I thought, ‘Yes, I do see me in you, and you see me in you.'”
Prince William and King Charles Are ‘Completely United’ on One Thing About Harry and Meghan (Exclusive)
NEED TO KNOW
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to the U.K. has put new strain on the rifts within the royal family
- While Harry has made steps to repair his relationship with King Charles, things between him and his brother, Prince William, remain “broken down,” according to royal experts
- The King and Prince William, however, are said to be “completely united” when it comes to one thing surrounding Harry and Meghan’s return
Prince Harry is on different paths of reconciliation with Prince William and King Charles, but the British monarch and his heir are on the same page when it comes to one thing.
Harry, 42, and Meghan Markle, 45, returned to England on Aug. 26, just a week after announcing their plans to establish a non-royal home base in the U.K. with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Prince Harry has been estranged from his family since he and Meghan stepped back as working royals in 2020 and moved their family to Montecito, Calif. While he has been in recent contact with his father — including a July meeting with the King and Queen Camilla at Highgrove — tensions between Harry and Prince William remain strained, with no direct communication between the brothers.
Regardless, royal author Russell Myers tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story that King Charles, 77, and Prince William, 44, are on the same page when it comes to one thing regarding Harry and Meghan.
“The King and William are completely united on the Sussexes not representing the royal family,” says Myers. “It’s without a doubt how in sync they are on this matter.”
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On Sept. 7, a letter was issued on behalf of King Charles stating that Harry and Meghan remain nonworking royals. The guidance, which reiterates the terms agreed when the couple stepped back from their roles as working members of the royal family in 2020, was provided after a “number of requests” for clarity about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex following their return to the U.K.
PEOPLE understands that King Charles and Harry have spoken at least once since the Sussexes’ arrival back in Britain but have not seen each other. William and Harry, meanwhile, remain estranged.
“William’s view is clear — any relationship his father has with Harry or the Sussexes as a family is entirely up to him,” says Myers. “But looking toward the future, he will have no relationship with them, in a working or private capacity whatsoever.”
According to royal author Simon Vigar, William and Kate Middleton are relying on an age-old royal philosophy: “It is keep calm and carry on. They see it as a sideshow and ancient history.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales have kept things focused on their family and their royal work. So far in September, they’ve dropped their eldest child, Prince George, off to begin his first year of Eton College, and stepped out for multiple royal engagements, including a joint appearance in support of one of William’s mental health initiatives on World Suicide Prevention Day.
“They are shining a light on things that are important to them,” says Ailsa Anderson, the late Queen Elizabeth’s press secretary. “What they don’t want is all this other noise becoming a distraction.”
“It will be incredibly draining,” adds royal historian Amanda Foreman. “They will always have to look over their shoulders and factor them in. And all they can do is deflect. Yet, they’ll get lots of jabs and questions: ‘When are you going to make up with your brother?’ ”
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Vigar wonders whether next year’s 30th anniversary of Diana’s death could eventually provide an opportunity for her sons to reconcile.
“Diana would have hated all this and would have banged their heads together and wouldn’t have allowed [the rift] to happen,” he says.
“It’s clearly incredibly difficult. The trust has broken down,” says Anderson. “Let’s hope it’s not broken completely, and there’s a chink in the armor on both sides, and there could be some sort of reconciliation. But that’s not happening anytime soon.”
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