Duchess Meghan (44) shared a photo series from her family's summer vacation on Instagram on Thursday. The images show Prince Harry (41) and their children Prince Archie (7) and Princess Lilibet (5). They were reportedly taken in Portugal and Great Britain. The Duchess of Sussex only commented on the post with two words and a sun emoji: "Summer Holiday".
Public photos of the two children are rare, as their parents largely keep them out of the public eye. The vacation pictures received all the more attention, showing Archie wearing a captain's hat sitting in the cockpit of an airplane next to the pilots, reaching for the controls.
From the Cockpit to the Pool
The larger part of the series appears to show the vacation in Portugal, where the family stopped before traveling on to Great Britain. Visible are the facade of a restaurant, Meghan in a black swimsuit on the beach, and Harry throwing his daughter into the air above the pool while Archie swims in the water nearby.
In addition, there's a snapshot of Meghan with the beagle Mamma Mia and a black-and-white photo showing the couple laughing during dinner. The Duchess did not provide any further details about the trip.
A Stop in Northamptonshire
One image reportedly comes from Great Britain, according to "People". The photo shows Harry and the two children from behind on a meadow, with father and son carrying flowers in their hands. It is said to be Althorp, the Spencer family estate where Princess Diana (1961-1997) grew up and was laid to rest. Other pictures show Lilibet in a floral dress among trees and Archie barefoot on a gravel path in the evening light. Whether the family also visited Diana's grave is not evident from the photos.
Diana died in August 1997 at the age of 36 in a car accident in Paris. On the 25th anniversary of her death, Harry took his wife to the grave for the first time in 2022, describing the scene in his 2023 autobiography "Spare": "I finally brought the girl of my dreams home to introduce her to my mother." He laid flowers and spoke to his mother in his thoughts. Meghan subsequently told him what she had asked for: clarity and guidance.
First Reunion with Grandfather in Years
The reason for the trip to Great Britain was several charity appointments by Harry in early July, including the countdown to the Invictus Games 2027 in Birmingham. Whether Meghan and the children would travel along remained unclear until the last moment. Harry has been in dispute with the British government for years over his personal security; at the same time, there were reports of disagreements with the palace over accommodation on a royal estate.
In the end, all four traveled to Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, the private country residence of King Charles (77). Buckingham Palace confirmed the meeting with the King and Queen Camilla, but no photos were released. It was the third encounter between Harry and his father since his cancer diagnosis in 2024 and the monarch's first reunion with his grandchildren in more than four years.
