Harry and Meghan tipped for balcony photo-op with Queen

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Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this weekend along with the rest of the nation, with festivities taking place up and down the country throughout the special bank holiday in honour of 70 years on the throne. Her Majesty has marked the momentous occasion with her family by her side, including her grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, who travelled across the pond with their children to join the Royal Family for the celebrations. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to the US two years ago following their shock exit from the Firm, and, before a brief visit in April, the couple had not returned to the UK together since their departure until now. 

This week, however, they have been back in Britain to honour the Queen, accompanied by their two children — Archie Harrison, three, and Lilibet Diana, with the family celebrating Lili’s first birthday on Saturday. 

Harry and Meghan’s children have largely been kept out of the public eye — only a handful of photographs of Archie have been released, while only one of Lilibet has made it into the public domain before this week. 

But while the Sussexes have received criticism for their fierce protection of their family’s privacy, a recent documentary has revealed that this is not uncommon for royal parents — in fact, was similar to how the Queen was raised, and how she sought to raise her own young children. 

The Queen’s father, George VI, did not at first expect to be king. Before his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne, he and his wife, then Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), brought up their two daughters in a relatively “normal” way. 

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The BBC One documentary ‘Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen’ — which aired on Sunday night — showed unseen footage of the Queen as a young mother, after welcoming Prince Charles in 1948, Princess Anne in 1950, Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964. 

The narrator said: “As a child, Princess Elizabeth was largely kept out of the public eye.

“She is now keen to protect her own young children.”

During the documentary, voiceovers shared the Queen’s thoughts from letters and broadcasts, which cast further light on the monarch’s thoughts on how best to raise young children. 

In her Christmas broadcast in 1984, the year that she welcomed her fourth grandchild, Prince Harry, Her Majesty said: “For parents, a birth is time for reflection and what the future holds for the baby and how they can best ensure its safety and happiness. 

“The birth of a baby brings great happiness. But then the business of growing up begins. 

“It is a process that starts within the protection and care of parents and other members of the family, including the older generation. As with any team, there is strength in combination.

“What grandparent does not wish for the best possible upbringing for their grandchildren?”

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This mindset was evident in the Queen’s words when Harry and Meghan made the decision to uproot and leave Britain, a move that saw them largely disconnect from members of the Royal Family. 

In a statement directly from the Queen herself, she said: “Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family.

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family.

“I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.”

She added that it was her “whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life”.

Queen Elizabeth II is grandmother to eight and great-grandmother to 12, and is understood to share close relationships with all of her grandchildren, and regularly spends time with her great-grandchildren who live in the UK. 

This weekend marks the first time the Queen has met her 11th great-grandchild, Lilibet, who, despite being named after the monarch’s family nickname, was yet to meet her great-grandmother before now.

It also marks the first time all of the monarch’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren have come together in over two years.

There had been speculation about whether Prince Harry would return for the Jubilee with his family.

The Duke of Sussex previously said that he did “not feel safe” bringing his two young children to the UK without police protection, which he was stripped of when he stepped down from his senior position in the Royal Family. 

He is currently involved in a legal dispute over a Home Office decision that prevents him from paying for his own Metropolitan Police protection.

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