Harry Meghan Charm Royal Kids at Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Spark Debates after ‘Shushing’ Them

Ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the monarch was said to have been excited to reunite with her great-grandchildren, especially her great-granddaughter, Lilibet, whom she had yet to meet for the first time.  

In May 2022, The Mirror reported that a source revealed that Queen Elizabeth II looked forward to spending time with her great-grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, when the Royal Family gathers to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.  

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were also said to be excited and honored to attend the Jubilee celebrations, per their spokesman.  

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of South Africa on September 25, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. / Source: Getty Images

Express later reported that the royal couple’s children would not attend the Queen’s thanksgiving service along with them and the rest of the Royal Family.  

Presenter Storm Huntley disclosed on “Jeremy Vine” that while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be joining the royal matriarch for a Thanksgiving ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral, their kids would not be there because they are too young for the service.  

In June 2022, Markle and Prince Harry traveled to the United Kingdom to celebrate the historic Platinum Jubilee of the monarch in person along with their brood. However, they did not attend every event.  

The trip enabled the Queen to be formally introduced to her great-granddaughter, Lilibet, who was born on June 4, 2021, at a Santa Barbara hospital in the US. Royal commentator Richard Kay stated if a photo of the monarch meeting Lilibet was released, it could create a powerful image: 

“A photograph of Lilibet meeting Lilibet would be a more eloquent symbol of family unity and forgiveness than any anonymous briefing. It could be a powerful metaphor for things to come.” 

Kay also claimed that Markle and Prince Harry’s daughter Lilibet whom they named after her great-grandmother, and their son Archie “could hold a route back to the way it was,” speaking about the Sussexes’ lives before they left the Royal Family.  

Markle and Prince Harry stayed at Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate, their family home, before they uprooted to the US. The pair’s exit and their controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey created a significant rift between them and the Royal Family. 

However, the Queen continued to refer to them as “much loved” family members. In May 2022, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams exclusively told Us Weekly that the rift between the Sussexes and the Royal Family has not been entirely healed: 

“I’d say the rift very definitely hasn’t been healed. That, I’m afraid, is quite clear.” 

The Duke and Duchess have had a volatile relationship with the Royal Family over the past two years. Fitzwilliams believes there is still more to be done before all parties can pick up the pieces and move on, as it is dire. 

Meanwhile, Newsweek reported that the royal rift showed no sign of healing at the national thanksgiving service for the sovereign.  

Prince Harry and Markle were expected to be photographed together with Prince William and Kate Middleton, but that did not happen. The former foursome arrived separately and was seated at different spots during the occasion, and one couple left after the other. 

PRINCE HARRY & MARKLE’S CALIFORNIA HOME 

Before the Sussexes left for the US, they endured a hard life living in the UK. In May 2021, Prince Harry revealed in the Apple+ documentary, “The Me You Can’t See,” that his beloved wife experienced a mental breakdown while pregnant with their second child.  

Markle told Winfrey in an interview that the Royal Family did not offer her the help she needed when she suffered from mental health and had suicidal thoughts. The Duke divulged that the Duchess was sane when thoughts of committing suicide tormented her: 

“Meghan decided to share with me the suicidal thoughts and the practicalities of how she was going to end her life. ” 

Prince Harry stated that what stopped Markle from taking her own life was how “unfair” it would have been on him after losing his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. 

In 2020, Markle revealed in a piece for the New York Times that she suffered a miscarriage in July that year. She described the harrowing experience saying she “watched my husband’s heartbreak as he tried to hold the shattered pieces of mine.” 

The Duchess shared her unfortunate situation to urge people to check on one another and ask each other, “are you ok?” over the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. 

Meanwhile, Prince Harry candidly opened up about his therapy visits, saying he knew that if he did not do therapy and work on his issues, it would have affected their relationship: 

“I knew that if I didn’t do the therapy and fix myself that I was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with.” 

The couple now resides in Montecito, California, in an 18,000-square-foot modern home they purchased for $14.65 million. The abode features nine bedrooms and sixteen bathrooms. 

The foyer consists of a staircase, an elevator, dining and living rooms, a gourmet kitchen, a family room, a library, a billiards room with a wet bar, a gym, a home theater, and a wine cellar and a spa with a massage room.  

Markle and Prince Harry’s cream-colored primary bedroom features a fireplace, a chandelier, a television, French doors, and a balcony. Their bathroom also has a fireplace, a marble bathtub, and a large vanity, including another sitting room.  

In an interview with “Today” in August 2021, Markle gave fans a glimpse of the couple’s home during a virtual call with actress Melissa McCarthy from the study area. The cream-white room has a beige rug matching the ceramic table and a stone-walled fireplace.  

The five-acre property also boasts rose gardens, a vegetable garden, century-old olive trees, an outdoor pizza oven, a tennis court, and a children’s house.  

Markle and Prince Harry’s son Archie has already started nursery school, and it is thought that he is already learning how to be a New Age Californian. The pair chose a less traditional institution further away from fellow celebrities’ kids’ schools.  

The mother of two was once spotted driving her son to school, then carrying his green backpack and a space-themed lunchbox. One parent of one of Archie’s classmates revealed the couple takes turns: 

“Harry often drops Archie off and picks him up and seems like a good dad.” 

In May 2022, the father of two shared that he wants to protect his children from online harm forever. The Duke said during a webinar that being a dad inspired him to try and make a change.  

He joined 5Rights Foundation when they launched the Global Child Online Safety Toolkit webinar in which they spoke to kids about how the digital world and social media affect them. Even though his brood is still too young to be exposed to such, the prince worries about the future.  

HOW THE SUSSEXES CHARMED THE ROYAL KIDS 

Markle and Prince Harry joined the Royal Family for Trooping the Color at Buckingham Palace on June 2, 2022. People reported that the Duchess could be spotted playfully entertaining some of the young royals, including Zara Tindall’s children, Lena and Mia, and Peter Phillips’ daughter, Savannah.  

Her husband, Prince Harry, was also seen shushing his young cousin, Lena, as he held his finger up to his mouth while watching the parade that honored the Queen’s birthday.  

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex watched the special occasion from the Major General’s Office, overlooking the Horse Guards Parade.  

The royal couple’s presence alongside the Royal Family marks the first time since they appeared together with The Firm in over two years.  

Some royal fans expressed disapproval at the couple’s interactions with the royal kids and took to Twitter to share their opinions which were not in favor of the said gestures. One Twitter user wrote that the pair did not need to quiet the kids: 

“The public can’t hear them, so why the need to quell them? And in full view of a window.” 

Another tweeted: “Well, that explains Meghan shushing some of the children at the window. If I were their parent, I would seek legal advice if those pictures end up on the Netflix doc.” 

One individual stated that Markle barely knows the children to silence them. At the same time, someone else predicted the Duchess would make headlines for all the wrong reasons, suggesting that she wanted attention by entertaining the kids.

Anomama