Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle haven't told Archie and Lilibet about their royal titles yet

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are raising their children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, as private citizens in California.

And while Prince Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior royals in 2020, Harry and his children are still fifth, sixth and seventh in line to the British throne respectively.

In March 2023, the Sussexes publicly announced Lilibet's title for the first time when they announced she had been christened in a private ceremony at their Montecito home.

But according to US Weekly, Harry and Meghan have not explained their royal heritage to their children, with a friend telling the magazine that the couple will "have those conversations in due time," while adding that the Sussexes want Archie and Lilibet to be loved for who they are as individuals.

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The friend added of the Sussex children: "They're so well-mannered. Archie is sweet and curious and playful, and Lili is vibrant and happy."

Title rules set out by King George V in 1917 mean Archie and Lilibet, as the children of a son of a sovereign, automatically became a prince and a princess when Charles became King.

It is understood that the children's titles will be used in formal settings, but not in everyday conversational use by Harry and Meghan.

While Archie was born in London and spent the first five months of his life at the Sussexes' former Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage, Lilibet arrived on 4 June 2021 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

The youngsters have joined their parents on one trip to the UK since Harry and Meghan moved to the US in 2020. In June 2022, the Sussexes celebrated the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in London, which also coincided with Lilibet's first birthday.

Security concerns

Harry's ongoing legal challenge with the Home Office has played a role in his decision not to bring his wife and children to the UK.

He took legal action against the Home Office over the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in the country.

In a witness statement filed to the High Court last December, Harry wrote: "It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020.

"The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil.

"I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm's way too."

Private citizens

The Duke and Duchess do not regularly share photographs of their children, aside from home footage and images that featured in their Netflix docuseries, released in December 2022.

The couple's friend tells US Weekly that Harry and Meghan keep Archie and Lilibet out of the public eye amid safety concerns.

Referencing Harry's legal battle, the friend said: "I think every parent wants to share their kid with the world, but they just can't. "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. 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."

The Duke has been granted permission to appeal against the dismissal of his high court challenge.