Growing up as a royal is weird. Growing up as a royal in Montecito? That’s a whole different level of unique. When we talk about Prince Harry kids, we aren't just talking about toddlers with fancy titles. We are looking at the first-ever experiment in "Royal-Lite" living on American soil.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are, essentially, the bridge between two worlds. One world involves gilded gold carriages and strict protocols. The other involves organic juice bars, celebrity neighbors like Ellen DeGeneres, and the aggressive privacy of a $14 million California estate.
Honestly, most people are surprised by how little we actually see of them. Unlike their cousins in the UK—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—who are regularly photographed at Trooping the Colour or Christmas walks, Archie and Lili are almost like ghosts in the public record. This is 100% intentional. Harry and Meghan have basically built a fortress around their childhood.
The titles everyone was arguing about
For a long time, the status of the Prince Harry kids was a massive point of contention. You probably remember the Oprah interview. There was all this confusion about whether they would ever be called Prince or Princess.
Technically, under the 1917 Letters Patent issued by King George V, the grandchildren of the Sovereign are entitled to those titles. But because they were born when Queen Elizabeth II was still reigning, they were great-grandchildren. They weren't "HRHs" yet.
Everything shifted when King Charles III took the throne.
Suddenly, the kids were the grandchildren of the reigning monarch. In early 2023, following Lilibet’s christening in a small, private ceremony at their home, the couple officially started using the titles. It wasn't a PR stunt; it was their birthright. Yet, they don't use them in daily life. In Montecito, they’re just Archie and Lili. No one is bowing at the sandbox.
Prince Archie of Sussex: The California pioneer
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born on May 6, 2019. He’s the one who experienced the "Great Transition." He spent his first few months at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor before the world turned upside down.
Harry has mentioned in various interviews, including his memoir Spare, that Archie is a "chatty" kid. He’s obsessed with his "big boy" bed. He loves chickens. In the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, we saw glimpses of him running around the garden and even showing a slight American lilt in his voice. It makes sense. He’s spending his formative years in a place where "pavement" is a "sidewalk" and "biscuits" are "cookies."
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He attends a local preschool. Rumor has it—and local reports from outlets like The Montecito Journal suggest—that the parents at the school are pretty chill about the whole royal thing. They’re used to seeing celebrities. Harry is just another dad doing the school run in a baseball cap.
Princess Lilibet Diana: The namesake
Then there’s Lili. Born June 4, 2021, in Santa Barbara. She is the first high-ranking royal to be born in the United States. Think about that for a second. A girl who is seventh in line to the British throne was born in a California hospital.
Her name is a heavy one. Lilibet was Queen Elizabeth’s childhood nickname. Diana, of course, honors the grandmother she’ll never meet.
We’ve seen even less of her than Archie. There’s that one famous photo from her first birthday at Frogmore Cottage—red hair, blue dress, big smile. She looks remarkably like Harry. Actually, both Prince Harry kids seem to have inherited that signature Spencer family red hair. It’s a strong gene.
Why the privacy matters so much to Harry
You can’t understand the lives of these kids without understanding Harry’s trauma. He has been incredibly vocal about the "paparazzi swarm" he dealt with as a child. He blames the press for the death of his mother.
In California, he has a different set of tools.
The privacy laws in the U.S. are actually quite strict regarding children. Paparazzi can’t just zoom in on a backyard with a drone without legal repercussions. Harry and Meghan have used the courts to protect their family. They sued a photo agency for using drones to snap pictures of Archie in their private garden. They won.
That sent a message: stay away from the kids.
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Consequently, we don't get the "staged" birthday portraits that Kate Middleton usually takes of her children. We get grainy, candid shots in a documentary or stories told during a late-night talk show appearance. It’s a trade-off. They lose the public's "connection" but they gain a sense of normalcy for the children.
The cultural divide: UK vs. USA
What does it mean for the Prince Harry kids to grow up American?
In the UK, Archie and Lili would have been surrounded by the machinery of the Monarchy. They would have security details that are part of the Metropolitan Police. They would attend elite London schools like Thomas's Battersea.
In Montecito, their life is more "New Age" than "Old World."
- They have a rescue chicken coop called "Archie's Chickin Inn."
- They spend time on the beach.
- They hang out with their grandmother, Doria Ragland, who lives nearby in Los Angeles.
Doria is a huge factor. She’s the steadying hand. While the kids are technically "royal," their daily reality is shaped by a woman who was a yoga instructor and social worker. That’s a massive departure from the upbringing Harry had, which was largely managed by nannies and palace staff.
The "Invisible" Royal Family
The weirdest part of this whole situation is that Archie and Lili have almost no relationship with their extended royal family.
As of early 2026, the rift between Harry and William remains deep. The cousins don't play together. They don't Zoom. Archie probably has very few memories of his Uncle William or Aunt Catherine.
This is the sad part of the Prince Harry kids story. They are growing up with a massive, famous family that they only know through news clips or stories their dad tells them. They are HRHs who might not ever step foot in a palace again until they are adults.
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Security concerns and the legal battle
One reason the kids don't visit the UK is the ongoing legal battle over security. Harry lost his taxpayer-funded police protection when he stepped back as a working royal. He offered to pay for it himself, but the UK government said "no."
Harry has explicitly said he doesn't feel safe bringing his family to the UK without that level of security. He’s worried about "lone wolf" attackers. So, until that legal mess is sorted, Archie and Lili will stay firmly planted in the 805 area code.
The future for Archie and Lili
What happens when they grow up?
They are American citizens. They are also British citizens. They have the right to work in the US, run for office, or, if things ever got really weird, take their place in the line of succession.
But for now, the focus is on a "normal" life. Meghan has talked about teaching Archie about the "Manners make the man" philosophy, but also letting him be a kid who gets his hands dirty in the garden.
They are being raised to be "Global Citizens."
Key takeaways for following the Sussex family
If you're trying to keep up with the Prince Harry kids, you have to look past the tabloid headlines. Most of what is written about them is speculation because the couple shares so little.
- Privacy is the priority. Don't expect regular updates. They will likely only release information through their Archewell Foundation or carefully curated media projects.
- The titles are here to stay. Despite what some critics want, Archie and Lili are Prince and Princess. That won't change unless the law changes.
- The American influence is dominant. They are growing up with American values, accents, and social circles.
- Security is the barrier to the UK. Until the security issues are resolved, don't expect to see them on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
The story of the Prince Harry kids is still being written. It’s a story of a prince who wanted something better for his children than what he had. Whether that "better" life in California actually works out in the long run remains to be seen, but for now, Archie and Lili are just two kids living a very private, very wealthy, and very sun-drenched life in Montecito.
To stay truly informed, look for direct statements from the Archewell website rather than "unnamed palace sources" who haven't seen the children in years. Tracking the official court filings regarding Harry’s security will also give you the best indication of if or when the children might ever return to the UK for a public event. For now, their life remains a private experiment in royal reinventon.
Practical Next Steps
- Check Official Sources: Follow the Archewell Foundation for any official announcements regarding the family's charitable work, which often includes small updates on their personal philosophy as parents.
- Monitor UK Security Rulings: Keep an eye on the High Court rulings regarding Ravec (the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures) to understand the logistics of their future travel.
- Review "Spare" for Context: If you want the deepest insight into Harry's motivations for his children's upbringing, reread the final chapters of his memoir, which focus heavily on his desire to break the "cycle of genetic pain."