Both Prince William and Prince Harry have spoken out about the difficulties of their own childhood, especially their role in the televised funeral for Princess Diana in 1997, which saw the young princes walk behind their mothers’s coffin. Prince Harry, especially, has openly reflected on how challenging the moment had been:
‘My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television,’ the Duke of Sussex told Newsweek in 2017. ‘I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen today.’
No wonder, then, that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are also concerned about the impact of television and social media on childhood. While the Prince and Princess of Wales kept their anxieties behind the scenes, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spoken openly about their fears for young Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Harry and Meghan are reluctant to share new photographs of their children, and in September 2024, Meghan opened up about her desire to keep her children safe in an interview with CBS – and while she may have been referring to the digital space, her remarks appear to ring true for real life, too. ‘Our kids are young. They’re three and five. They’re amazing,’ she said. ‘But all you want to do as parents is protect them.’