With his toothy smile and wind-blown hair, Prince Louis turned eight last month against the backdrop of a blue Cornish sky. And while fans were delighted to get a glimpse of the young royal, over in California, the official portrait sparked a reaction of a different kind.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’ son Prince Archie turns seven this week, and Meghan, 44, wants to release a formal photo of their eldest child to mark the special occasion, no doubt inspired by the delightful pictures and video clips released by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
However, the plan has put her at odds with Prince Harry, 41, who is convinced it could put Archie at risk.
“Harry knows from bitter experience how a childhood in the spotlight can change your life and not always for the better,” a royal insider tells Woman’s Day.
“It’s an ongoing tug of war for the Sussexes over how much of Archie and Lilibet’s lives should remain private. It’s hard for Meghan to see her kids’ cousins have all the fun while her two have to be protected at all costs because of security. “But Harry’s other concern is that Meghan keeps pushing her luck with her branding by using Archie and Lilibet, who are in line to the throne, and he thinks it’s a dangerous game.”
A new direction for Meghan
Along with hawking two “beautifully crafted” $109 candles “named in honour” of Archie and four-year-old Princess Lilibet’s birthdates on her As Ever lifestyle website, it’s been suggested the duchess is now looking to become a “mumfluencer”.
“Let’s face it, the lifestyle influencer space hasn’t really worked, but the mummy influencer space seems to be really opening up for her now and what she is leaning into,” says royal writer Tom Sykes.
Growing concerns behind the scenes
Harry, however, mindful of the backlash the couple received for their Australian tour, is starting to worry about Archie and Lilibet losing their titles if they keep blurring the lines between royal work and blatant cash-ins.
Already, Tom Bower – author of Betrayal, a new biography about Meghan and Harry – believes the couple’s recent “quasi-royal” tour of Oz could result in Prince William removing Archie and Lili’s titles. It’s something the future king undoubtedly doesn’t want to do, but he may have to in order to protect The Firm.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Clash Over Archie and Lilibet Photos
Claims of a royal misstep
“Charles should never have given them titles,” tells Tom, speaking exclusively to Woman’s Day.
“He was weak to concede it and he made a mistake. It was quite clear the whole idea was to monetise the royal family. They wanted the kids to be on the same level as Kate and William’s children. That’s Meghan’s obsession – that Archie should be the same as George.”
“I can’t imagine the King is going to help Harry promote his Invictus Games when he comes to the UK next year because it will damage the royal family enormously. I don’t think Charles will even meet Harry because it’s far too dangerous.”
“But who knows what can happen between now and then? Meghan would just be commercialising herself, selling all her clothes and validating herself as a member of the family, and that would be, in my view, catastrophic.”
