Meghan Markle Has One Special Mom Privilege Other Royals Don't
When Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, married Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, she surely didn't expect to find herself ostracized from the very palace she'd be moving into. Yet, considering how Harry and Meghan's infamous "Megxit" went down, the duchess has lost much of the prestige that goes along with royalty since stepping away from the firm. Sister-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, gets the honors, patronages, and fan adoration, while Meghan gets sneers for her luxury brand of jams and candles. Still, there's one perk Meghan enjoys that her royal in-laws will never experience, despite their money and prestige.
As a private citizen, Meghan has the freedom to choose how much public exposure to give her children, Prince Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Princess Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor. When she and Harry were still working royals, they were obligated to let baby Archie be photographed, notably when they visited South Africa in 2019 and met with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Three years later, when the Sussexes traveled to London to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's historic Platinum Jubilee), they released an adorable photo of Lilibet, who turned one year old that same weekend.
Since moving to the States, the much-critiqued Harry and Meghan have guarded their children's privacy by keeping their faces hidden from view. All family photos on Meghan's Instagram show Archie and Lilibet either from the rear, or with their features partially hidden. The last time the young Sussexes were seen in their entirety was seemingly in 2021, with the family's holiday card. It's clear both the prince and princess inherited their dad's red hair, but only the people who know the family personally would be able to tell whether they take after the former "Suits" star in any way.
Meanwhile, the world is watching William and Kate's children grow up
Kate Middleton is likely jealous of Meghan Markle's special privilege as a mom. Much as she might prefer to keep her children out of range of eager paparazzi, she knows that's just not possible. Her eldest, Prince George, is the future king of England, and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are next in the line of succession (until George starts his own family, that is). Senior working royals, particularly heirs apparent like Prince William, are expected to maintain a degree of transparency about their families, such as allowing their faces to be shown. William's mother, the late Princess Diana, was often photographed with her boys; fans raved about the devotion she showed to the young princes.
This openness serves several purposes: First, it creates a closer bond between the palace and the public. When William becomes king, he reportedly plans to challenge the image of British royalty as being elitist. A source told People that the prince plans to be "more accessible, more approachable," and being seen as a doting dad certainly helps. Already, he and Kate are being praised for prioritizing their family and being honest about their parenting challenges. Their willingness to have their children seen at Easter and Christmas church services, plus popular events like Wimbledon, also gives the royal parents a degree of control over their kids' public images.
Meghan Markle, on the other hand, has both the right and the motive to keep her children hidden from public view. Though some call her disingenuous — she conceals their faces most of the time, but still lets them be seen occasionally from a side angle — the duchess knows from hard experience how mentally challenging it can be to be put on display.