Harry and Meghan famously ‘quit’ the royal family back in 2020, and took their then newborn son, little Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to live stateside, first in Canada before putting down roots in swanky Montecito in California.
And ever since then, in particular after their tell-all Netflix documentary, Harry and Meghan, and Prince Harry’s shocking memoir, Spare, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not exactly been close with Harry’s family in the UK.
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(Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attends the Skeleton Finals during day two of the 2025 Invictus Games on February 10, 2025 in Whistler, British Columbia. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Since leaving the royal family, Meghan and Harry have also welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet, who will turn four this summer, and the two Sussex kids have, according to media outlets, barely met their cousins in England, and have also not seen their uncle and aunt, the Prince and Princess of Wales, in years.
And this is why it apparently raised a few eyebrows when Meghan Markle, in her latest podcast episode, spoke about one of her children’s aunties – but she was not referencing her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton.
In the third episode of her new podcast, Confession of a Female Founder, Meghan, 43, sits down for a candid chat with Kadi Lee, co-founder of hair brand Highbrow Hippie. During the chat, Meghan described Kadi as an ‘auntie’ to her children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three – clearly meant to be a sweet nod to the fact the hair brand founder is close to the duchess and her family.
‘Our kids love Auntie Kadi’
Meghan, who recently launched her gourmet food brand As Ever, also revealed that Kadi, who she calls “Auntie Kadi” in the podcast, is greeted by Archie and Lilibet, who “run out” to see her when she arrives at the family’s home in her car. Kadi then, in turn, referred to herself as ‘Super Aunt’.
‘I mean our kids love Auntie Kadi, it’s just our favourite when they run out, your car, it’s like ‘Kadi,’ Meghan said.
Her friend then added:
‘I know, I feel like I look for them first!’
And while Meghan did not come out and say anything about her kids’ not having other aunties, many were quick to point out that by referring to the hair stylist as an ‘auntie’ to her children, the California-based Duchess is expressing just how close Kadi is to the family.
(Catherine Princess of Wales laughing court-side of Centre Court during the men’s final on day fourteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
To be fair, this is something Meghan has done before with other friends, referring to tennis pro Serena Williams as an auntie to her children on an Instagram story earlier this year.
Interestingly, Meghan has never in any public capacity talked about Archie and Lili’s actual auntie, Princess Kate.
According to UK media, it is believed the Princess of Wales, 43, along with her husband, Prince William, 42, are not actively involved in the lives of Meghan and Harry’s children as a result of William and Harry not being on talking terms.
It is not known when Prince William or Princess Kate last saw Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two children. And the same goes for William and Kate’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who have not seen their uncle Harry or their aunt Meghan in years.
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