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The prince opened up about Archie and Lili’s connection to his family.
With the publication of Prince Harry’s much-anticipated memoir
Spare, there has also come a slew of new comments and revelations from the royal about his family. Among the behind the scenes details shared in his book as well as a series of new interviews to promote it, Harry has shared a great deal about his private life, including some thoughts about his children, Archie and Lili.
In an interview with People, Harry opened up about his hopes for his children’s connections with their royal relatives, saying, "I’ve said before that I’ve wanted a family, not an institution—so of course, I would love nothing more than for our children to have relationships with members of my family, and they do with some, which brings me great joy."
The sentiment echoes one he shared in Spare, writing of when Archie first learned to walk. "Archie took his first steps in the garden a couple of months later, at the height of the global pandemic lockdown. We clapped, hugged him, cheered. I thought, for a moment, how nice it would be to share the news with Grandpa or Uncle Willy."
Harry also spoke with People about his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth, who passed away in September at the age of 96. "My grandmother and I were very close, and we very much did have a special relationship. I miss her dearly, as well as her cheeky sense of humor and quick wit," he said, later adding, "I will forever cherish every memory I had with her, especially the times she spent with my children."
Though Archie was born in the UK in 2019 and met his great-grandmother just days after he was born, he moved to North America with his parents when Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their royal roles in 2020. Baby Lili, who was born in 2021 after the family relocated to California, did not, apparently, meet the queen until this summer when Elizabeth celebrated her Platinum Jubilee. Nonetheless, in their short time together, they seem to have forged some sweet memories for Harry.
After the queen’s death, he wrote in Spare, "For days and days we couldn’t stop hugging the children, couldn’t let them out of our sight—though I also couldn’t stop picturing them with Granny. The final visit. Archie making deep, chivalrous bows, his baby sister Lilibet cuddling the monarch’s shins. Sweetest children, Granny said, sounding bemused. She’d expected them to be a bit more…American, I think? Meaning, in her mind, more rambunctious."
Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.
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