Archie and Lilibet: Commentator discusses titles
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are raising their two children in Montecito, California. Three-year-old Archie and one-year-old Lilibet reside with their parents in the affluent suburb of Santa Barbara. Details surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s upbringing of their children are largely kept under wraps, with the couple sharing little information about the youngsters’ lives. However, a Hollywood insider has predicted that this will all change as Archie and Lilibet grow older, saying the Sussexes’ daughter is set to become “the most famous person in California”.
Sandro Monetti, an expert on all things Hollywood, was a guest on an episode of Hello! Magazine’s A Right Royal Podcast last month. He gave insight into the Sussexes’ lives in Montecito and speculated that the family of four may move to the busier parts of the state in the future.
He said: “I do not see the Montecito home being their long-term home. I see them, when the children are older, moving over to Los Angeles county — perhaps Malibu, of which Princess Diana was a huge fan. Perhaps even Belair, a bit more towards the centre of things as their Hollywood careers develop and they decide to focus on that.
“But also their children. Yes, Meghan and Harry are very famous. But trust me, when Lilibet comes of age — she is going to be the most famous person in California, if not America. She’s the only Princess ever born in California, so just imagine a 21-year-old Lilibet — she is going to be the biggest celebrity in town.”
The matter of the Sussex children’s titles is one of contention. When Harry’s father King Charles III ascended the throne, it was thought Archie and Lilibet may receive Prince and Princess titles.
However, according to the official Royal Family website, their styles have remained the same: Master Archie Harrison and Miss Lilibet Diana.
Whether or not the Sussex children will receive royal titles remains unknown, with some commentators suggesting that tensions within the House of Windsor have to subside before decisions will be made.
Nonetheless, Mr Monetti claimed the Duke and Duchess are creating their own Royal Family in the US. He explained: “What we have forming here in California is an alternative Royal Family. Yes, they’ve stepped away but they’ve still got the titles.”
The idea of an “alternative Royal Family” has been mused before. Angela Levin, author of Harry: Conversations with the Prince, told the Daily Mail in August: “I’ve thought for a long time that Harry and Meghan are trying to create an alternative woke Royal Family, the grandeur and the pomp and circumstance that surrounds them.
“…When they went to America, when they went to the United Nations, and not just as somebody who’s interested and curious and one of us but with good credentials. They are people who are very determined to show that their way is the best way.”
Ms Levin added: “And I think Meghan, who doesn’t like losing, she likes to win, feels enormous bitterness and resentment towards the royal family for not letting her modernise the Royal Family. I may be wrong, I hope so, but the impression is that they don’t want to be royals yet they’re hanging on to their titles very, very tightly.”
Much discussion has taken place surrounding Harry and Meghan’s Sussex titles, with calls for them to be taken away or for the couple to renounce them increasing in recent months.
In his interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, the Duke addressed the speculation. When asked, “why not renounce your titles as Duke and Duchess,” Harry responded: “And what difference would that make?”
The couple have been criticised for being so public with their grievances with the Royal Family, but Harry insisted that his private attempts at reconciliation proved unsuccessful. He told Mr Cooper that when he had tried to handle their issues privately, the “briefings and leakings and planting of stories” from the Palace continued.
Harry and Meghan’s most recent ventures offered unusual insight into their lives in Montecito, particularly how they are bringing up their two children.
Since their exit, the Duke and Duchess have made efforts to maintain their children’s privacy. But, in December 2022, Harry and Meghan released swathes of home video footage showing Archie and Lilibet playing on the grounds of their Montecito home.
In one clip, the Duke can be seen trying to share his passion for birdwatching with his son. Another shows Meghan holding Lilibet’s hand as the youngster takes tentative steps.
Meghan is pictured gardening with the children and a video showed Harry reading to the two toddlers on the sofa.
At one point, Harry said: “Just seeing Archie running across the lawn and this big smile… This is the world he knows… he spent his first five months in Windsor, that was it. This is home to him, this is home to Lili. And this is our home.”
Harry and Meghan have returned to the UK on a handful of occasions, only once with their two children.
Archie and Lilibet accompanied their parents when they travelled from the US for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. The celebratory weekend also saw the Sussexes’ daughter’s first birthday, a milestone that was marked by a party at the Duke and Duchess’ former home — Frogmore Cottage.
Mr Monetti said: “I think Harry and Meghan are doing a good thing [by] raising their children in a secluded and safe environment. But as those kids come of age and if they develop particular interests themselves in the showbiz world, then they’re much more likely to want to move into Los Angeles county where all the action is, rather than the quiet of Montecito. It works for now, but I’m not sure it’ll be their home forever.”
Source: Read Full Article