From maintaining his staunch refusal to tamper with his children’s safety to giving it all away, Prince Harry has come a long way.
Harry and Meghan Markle’s new Christmas card has raised eyebrows as it seemingly contradicts what the Duke of Sussex has been fighting for in recent years to keep their children safe. The holiday card, which offers a rare glimpse into their Californian life, subtly introduces the Sussexes’ newest family member, their dog, Mia. The 9-year-old beagle was rescued from an animal testing facility two years ago. In the snap, Mia is seen alongside Prince Harry and Markle’s other pets, Guy (another beagle) and Pula ( a Labrador).
However, it’s not their new pet dog that’s attracting attention online — it’s the apparent compromise of their children’s privacy that has tongues wagging.
The Sussexes’ Christmas card features a snap that seemingly highlights Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3. The image in question shows the royal children running toward their parents with their faces strategically hidden — Lilibet facing her father while Archie is seen mid-sprint to his mother.
The Sussexes, particularly Prince Harry, have long championed their kids’ privacy. Thus, the critics of the royal couple now have more fodder to criticize the couple since they contradicted themselves by releasing a photo featuring Archie and Lilibet for public circulation via their Archewell Foundation.
In the not-so-distant past, Harry repeatedly expressed concerns about exposing his children to the public eye, citing safety risks and the need for normalcy. In a chat with People, a friend of the duke shared how “reluctant” the father of two was to show his children publicly.
“Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats. He wants them to lead as normal a life as possible without the fear of kidnapping or harm.”
It is worth noting that Prince Harry and Markle stepped back from their royal duties nearly five years ago. And yet here they are releasing a Christmas card — a tradition common among senior royals, such as Prince William and Kate Middleton, every holiday season.
For this year’s card, the U.S.-based royals put the spotlight on their personal and professional lives. Aside from the snap of them with their kids and pets, there is also an image of Markle hugging a young girl and another of Prince Harry visiting the sick in a hospital. The rest of the photos show the royal couple smiling during different royal engagements.
The Sussexes’ Christmas card was distributed via email with a message that read: “On behalf of the office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archewell Productions, and Archewell Foundation, we wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful New Year.”
The inclusion of the royal children in the card may seem harmless since the Sussexes are distributing it to spread holiday cheer and of course, to present themselves as one happy, complete family. However, one could argue that it undermines Prince Harry’s efforts to protect his children’s privacy.
In July 2024, Prince Harry made the headlines as his desperate call to secure protection for his family whenever they are in the U.K. allegedly contributed to his estrangement from his father, King Charles. The Duke’s appeals for the renewal of taxpayer-funded police protection were reportedly met with silence by the monarch, thus prompting the duke to minimize his visits to the U.K. and completely stop taking Meghan and his children with him.