Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s 2 Kids: All About Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet (Who Recently Made Their Debuts on Their Mom’s Instagram)

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are busy with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

A year after their royal wedding in 2018, Meghan gave birth to Archie in London. The couple stepped back from their royal duties in 2020 and moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., where Lili was born the following year.

Though Archie and Lili didn’t receive the titles of prince and princess at the time of their births — because the late Queen Elizabeth was their great-grandmother and only grandchildren are immediately given titles — they started using the titles after their grandfather King Charles became monarch in 2022. Stemming from Harry and Meghan’s titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which were bestowed by Queen Elizabeth upon their wedding, the children are officially Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex. The family has since adopted Sussex as their surname.

The couple have mostly kept their children out of the public eye for privacy reasons, typically only sharing photos and videos that hide their faces (including their 2024 Christmas card and Lili’s 2025 debut on Meghan’s lifestyle website As Ever). In 2024, Meghan and Harry launched a program to support parents whose kids have been affected by online harm through their charity, Archewell Foundation. 

“Our kids are young,” Meghan told CBS News Sunday Morning in August 2024. “They’re 3 and 5. They’re amazing. But all you want to do as parents is protect them. And so, as we can see what’s happening in the online space, we know that there’s a lot of work to be done there, and we’re just happy to be able to be a part of change for good.”

Here’s everything to know about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Prince Archie of Sussex, 5

Harry and Meghan’s first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, now Prince Archie of Sussex, was born on May 6, 2019, in London.

“He has the sweetest temperament,” Meghan shared of her son while introducing the newborn to the world shortly after his birth. “He’s really calm.”

Meghan later revealed that the couple almost named their son Harrison before deciding on Archie, a shortened version of the name Archibald, meaning genuine and bold or brave. They instead made Harrison his middle name, which originated in the Middle Ages as a patronymic meaning “son of Henry” or “son of Harry.”

When he was only 4 months old, Archie joined his parents on a visit to South Africa, where he met anti-apartheid activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Meghan later shared that a fire broke out in the nursery where Archie was staying during the trip, and despite being “shaken” by the incident, the couple had to quickly leave their son for another scheduled engagement.

Not long after the visit, Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step back from royal duties.

Harry reflected on how his decision to step back from his royal duties was particularly meaningful to him in light of his own mother’s experience raising children in the spotlight.

“I have no doubt that my mom would be incredibly proud of me. I’m living the life that she wanted to live for herself, living the life that she wanted us to be able to live,” Harry said in his docuseries The Me You Can’t See, co-created with Oprah Winfrey. “So not only do I know that she’s incredibly proud of me, but that she’s helped me get here. And I’ve never felt her presence more as I have done over the last year.”

On the show, Harry also revealed that there’s a picture of Princess Diana hanging in Archie’s nursery and that one of his first words was “grandma,” after “mama,” “papa” and “crocodile.”

At the 2025 Invictus Games in Canada, Harry told PEOPLE that Archie was especially interested in hearing stories about the veterans the tournament supports.

“It’s a very interesting conversation to have with your kids — to explain why that person is missing a leg, why that person is missing an arm, why do they look the way they do,” said Harry, a former captain in the British Army. “It’s challenging but important.”

He continued, “Our kids are still so young, but Archie, especially, is asking those questions. As any parent knows, once you open that door and those questions are asked, or that conversation starts, more and more doors start opening.”

When asked what his hopes for his children are at the 2022 Invictus Games, Harry replied, “To grow up in a better world … To grow up in a fairer world, a safer world, a more equal world. It’s not going to be easy, but I will never, ever, ever rest until I as a parent have at least tried to make the world a better place for them.”

Archie was 2 when his little sister was born. On the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Meghan said he “loves being a big brother,” but that there was an adjustment period. “Everyone talks about what it’s like for the second child, but no one talks about the adjustment for the first child when the second one comes along,” she said. “So I think they have this moment of, ‘Oh, this is fun. Oh, this how it is now.’ ”

Archie made a cute cameo in his parent’s Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, which premiered in December 2022. In episode 2 of the series, Harry and his son stood on a balcony while several hummingbirds flew around them.

The following year, Archie’s 4th birthday on May 6, coincided with another very special occasion — his grandfather King Charles’ coronation. While Harry headed to London to support his father, Meghan remained in California to celebrate Archie’s birthday.

Both kids made their first appearance on Meghan’s personal Instagram account in January 2025 when she announced that their rescue beagle, Guy, had died. Archie is shown in the 90-second video post walking Guy on a leash with his dad.

Princess Lilibet of Sussex, 3

Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten Windsor, now Princess Lilibet of Sussex, was born on June 4, 2021, in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Harry and Meghan had a sentimental reason for choosing their daughter’s name: Lilibet was the private nickname of Queen Elizabeth (given to her as a child due to her difficulty pronouncing “Elizabeth”). Before her death in 2022, Harry and the Queen were especially close.

“On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili,” the couple announced on the Archewell Foundation website. “She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”

Harry and Meghan had previously expressed their excitement about welcoming a daughter when speaking to Oprah Winfrey ahead of Lili’s arrival. “To have a boy, then a girl — what more can you ask for?” Harry said, adding that they are not planning on having any more children: “Two is it.”

Just a few days after Lili was born, Meghan published her first children’s book, The Bench. In the dedication, she wrote, “For the man and the boy who make my heart go pump-pump.” The book also includes a sweet nod to Lili: the final illustration features a woman, representing Meghan, standing in a garden with a baby in a sling while Harry and Archie feed chickens on a nearby bench.

The first time the world saw a glimpse of baby Lili was on the Sussexes’ 2021 holiday card. “This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world. Archie made us a ‘Mama’ and a ‘Papa’, and Lili made us a family,” Harry and Meghan wrote in the card.

In June 2022, the whole family visited England for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration. It was the first time Lili met her great-grandmother and her grandfather Charles, who reportedly had an “emotional” visit with his granddaughter.

The family also celebrated her first birthday with a backyard picnic at Frogmore Cottage, the official royal residence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Shortly after, Harry and Meghan released the first portrait of Lili, sharing a glimpse of her red hair, which she inherited from her father.

Lili also made an appearance in her parents’ Netflix docuseries. In the footage, Harry read little Lilibet a story as she sat on her father’s lap surrounded by some of the family’s dogs.

“What’s most important for the two of us is to make sure that we don’t repeat the same mistakes that perhaps our parents made,” Harry said over a collection of videos and images of their kids.

“There’s so much I think from anyone’s childhood that you bring with you into the present,” Meghan added. “Especially when you’re the product of divorce.”

During the final episode of Harry & Meghan, Tyler Perry made an appearance — and shared that he is Lili’s godfather. The filmmaker said that when Harry and Meghan first asked him, he was “absolutely honored,” though his second thought was that he didn’t want to participate in an official royal ceremony.

“I called them back and go, ‘Uh, hold on a second — does this mean we gotta go over [to the U.K.] and do all of that in church with [the royal family] and figure all that out? ‘Cause I don’t wanna do that,’ ” Perry said. ” ‘Maybe we can do a little private ceremony here [in the U.S.] and let that be that, and if you have to do it there, then that’s okay.’ ”

On March 3, 2023, Lili was christened by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev. John Taylor, during an intimate ceremony at Harry and Meghan’s home in Montecito, Calif. An insider told PEOPLE that there were roughly 30 guests present, including Perry, Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, and an unnamed godmother.

Meghan and Harry celebrated Lili’s 3rd birthday with a party at their home. PEOPLE learned that the guest list included close friends and family as well as some of the toddler’s friends.

In 2025, the Duchess of Sussex shared a rare glimpse of Archie and Lili on her Instagram Stories. Meghan shared a video of her and Lili festively making bagels with heart-shaped strawberries to celebrate Valentine’s Day.