Meghan Markle and Prince Harry took a “traditional step” with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, a royal commentator has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled to Nigeria earlier this month, but chose to make the trip alone without their two children.
The tour was not made on behalf of King Charles, although the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were personally invited by the chief of Nigeria’s defence staff.
The West African country is understood to be keen to host a future instalment of the Invictus Games, which Prince Harry founded in 2014.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle photographed in Nigeria
Reuters
Some royal commentators suggested the Nigeria tour could have been a good way to soft launch Archie and Lilibet into public life.
However, this was never likely as Prince Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, have kept their two children private largely since stepping down as senior working royals.
Gareth Russell, a royal commentator, spoke exclusively to GB News about whether or not Meghan and Harry’s decision to leave Archie, five, and Lilibet, two, in the US was a deliberate positive PR move.
He said: “Princess Diana did bring her very young children, and the current Princess of Wales has sometimes brought them [on royal tours].
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have not visited the UK since 2022PA“But the prevailing wisdom is it’s a huge disruption for children to be on public display like that.
“The Sussexes have been very private about their children sometimes.”
Russell added that the duke and duchess were more in line with traditional royal thinking.
Queen Elizabeth II, for example, went on tour in the Commonwealth for five months between 1953 and 1954, without then-Prince Charles and Princess Anne who were aged six and four respectively.
Harry and Meghan recently returned from a visit to Nigeria Reuters
Harry and Meghan did not bring Archie or Lilibet to Nigeria
Getty
​The royal author added: “I don’t think it was either a negative or positive PR move from them, I think it was probably a bit more of a traditional step.
“But, I do think a lot of their fans would love to see them bring the children.”
Archie and Lilibet featured heavily in the Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan.
However, besides this documentary and the infrequent birthday pictures or Christmas cards, the Sussex children have been largely kept out of the public eye.