With the Duke and Duchess of Sussex dropping hints about Archie and Lilibet’s future career prospects, many have been left wondering if the children will take on official roles later in life
12:32, 02 Jan 2026
For several years, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been shielding their young children from the limelight. While they have occasionally featured on social media, their faces have been shielded to keep attention off the Sussex kids.
And while Archie and Lilibet are only six and four years old respectively, Harry and Meghan mentioned their young children in an official statement about the future of their business. In the days before Christmas, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a major announcement about changes to their charitable organisation. The royal couple revealed that after five years, the Archewell Foundation would be renamed to Archewell Philanthropies, sharing the news in an official statement.
The company said: “This charitable entity allows the couple and their children to expand upon their global philanthropic endeavours as a family.” The mention of their children is the first time Harry and Meghan have named their youngsters in such an official capacity, leaving many wondering what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning for their children’s futures.
Royal expert Richard Eden has suggested that the inclusion of their kids in the statement is a sign that the Sussexes plan to involve their children in future philanthropic endeavours. Mr Eden reportedly spoke to an old friend of Prince Harry’s, who was allegedly shocked by the statement, given Harry and Meghan’s insistence to keep their kids shielded from the spotlight throughout their childhood.
According to the Daily Mail, Harry’s friend told the royal expert: “I am genuinely confused. Harry and Meghan were always so insistent that their children would be able to make their own way in life without the pressure of expectations or titles.”
Archie and Lilibet also featured in Harry and Meghan’s yearly round-up video, as they were shown helping their parents bake cookies ahead of Thanksgiving with a local charity. The family of four also shared a charming photo, with the children’s faces obstructed, for their annual Christmas card.
While Archie and Lilibet both hold prince and princess titles, it is still unclear if they will have any place in a future royal household, given Harry and Meghan’s decision to leave the Firm in 2020 and relocate to the US.
Despite living in California for the last five years, Harry has previously said that he wants his children to know his homeland of England, but feels it is “unsafe” to bring his family to the UK without adequate security.
Archie was born in the UK, just one year before the Sussexes left their royal roles behind, while Lilibet was born in the US. As a result, it is believed that the young children have had almost no contact with the Royal Family, as the rift between Harry and the royals remains ever present.
And while many have speculated that the inclusion of Archie and Lilibet in the Sussex’s recent statement could point to their future careers, Harry has long been vocal about wanting to shield his children from an upbringing similar to his.
In the bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry said he wants to "break the cycle" of the "pain and suffering" of his own children with Archie and Lilibet, who compared his life to "a mixture between The Truman Show and being in a zoo".
Speaking on the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard in 2021, Harry added: "I don't think we should be pointing the finger or blaming anybody, but certainly when it comes to parenting, if I've experienced some form of pain or suffering because of the pain or suffering that perhaps my father or my parents had suffered, I'm going to make sure I break that cycle so that I don't pass it on, basically.
"It's a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed on anyway so we as parents should be doing the most we can to try and say 'you know what, that happened to me, I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen to you'."
Following the Sussexes' recent statement, we want to know if you think Harry and Meghan's children should have royal roles. Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.