Royal Fans Go Wild For Archie’s Resemblance To His Mother In Resurfaced Baby Photograph Of Meghan Markle

Sep 26, 2022 by apost team

Every so often, the public is treated to an inside view of the private life of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The royal couple stays relatively quiet outside of curated press releases and rare public appearances. Although the Duchess of Sussex was somewhat used to the spotlight as a former actress, being reintroduced as a member of the British royal family was extremely different and very difficult.

This led to a challenging few years for Meghan as she adjusted to royal life in the UK. It's no secret that the British media is known for its invasive coverage of celebrities and royals. Prince Harry has been outspoken against this, especially when the press began to hound his wife, in a case of history repeating itself after Harry's late mother Princess Diana suffered the same treatment.

But the couple decided to get themselves away from that world when they announced their royal departure in 2020 and acted on it the following year. Since then, they've enjoyed a different kind of life in sunny California with their two children, Archie and Lilibet. It seems that life in Montecito, California, offers a particular kind of freedom that the couple didn't get when they were still a part of the royal family and lived in the UK.

Although they aren't in the public eye as much as they once were, the Sussexes do share moments from their life from time to time, including official interviews and projects they've worked on. In the Apple docuseries "The Me You Can't See," which Harry produced alongside Oprah Winfrey, the couple's son even made an appearance. Fans were overjoyed at seeing the tot, who was then still a baby and couldn't help but draw comparisons to a resurfaced photo of Meghan that showed just how much Archie looks like his mom.

Ever since the public learned about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship, the world has been transfixed. Like a modern-day Grace Kelly, actress Meghan gave up her career in the spotlight to marry royalty. The couple's wedding ceremony in May 2018 was in the media spotlight for months ahead of the event and was watched by millions worldwide. It was a royal wedding of rebellious firsts as these two decided to marry on their own terms and in their own style. They did many things differently that set them apart from other royals early on, and that's something they've carried through in how they're living their lives and raising their children.

Almost one year to the day ahead of their first wedding anniversary, Meghan gave birth to their first child, a son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The couple was careful about keeping Archie away from the public eye as much as possible. While new royal mothers generally give the public a glimpse of a newborn royal at the Lindo Wing steps at St. Mary's Hospital the day they are born, Harry and Meghan went against royal tradition and did not invite the press for a photo op.

Instead, the proud parents chose to release images of their son on their own terms. Eventually, when they did, the public was overjoyed and immediately drew comparisons between Archie and his father Harry. Apart from the young boy's curious eyes and adorable smile, Archie seemed to also have inherited Harry’s signature red hair. Not only did he inherit Harry’s dreamy looks, but also his cheeky personality. In a video the couple released on social media, Archie took charge when his mother was reading to him by turning the pages all by himself, and he even chose another book he wanted to be read to him next.

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For a young boy, Archie has certainly moved around the world. Having been born in London, Archie moved with his parents to Vancouver Island for several months before they moved back to Meghan's home state of California. 

Then, after both Harry and Meghan stepped down as working members of the royal family, the group moved to Los Angeles — a familiar place for former actress Meghan — in March 2020. However, not satisfied with the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles life, Harry, Meghan and Archie decided to settle in Montecito, Santa Barbara, for some more privacy. 

The family's life there is laid back and Harry and Meghan are able to parent Archie and his sister, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, who was born in June 2021, as they wish. In fact, Archie attends a nursery school that offers more than the traditional kinds of teachings — although those are still represented, of course.

The usual first things a child is taught are still offered: reading, writing and learning numbers, as well as first bits of Spanish, music, dance, theater and even coding. Aside from these scholarly approaches, however, the nursery school also focuses on teaching what they call "emotional literacy" and mindfulness, which reflects an emphasis on mental health and social skills that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have previously stated they hold in high regard. Class sizes are small at the nursery, and children spend time growing their own vegetables and plants in the nursery's gardens which feature fruit trees, a variety of plants and many possibilities to get up and close to nature.

The British publication The Mirror spoke with a parent of one of the other children who attends the nursery. Unsurprisingly, little Archie seems to garner a lot less attention than he would get if he were to attend an English nursery school:

"Harry often drops Archie off and picks him up, and seems like a good dad. All the parents have been laid back in welcoming Harry and Meghan, without making a fuss. And to the other kids, Archie is just one of them. They don't know his parents are royalty, and probably wouldn't care — unless Meghan was a Disney princess."

Harry has taken to fatherhood incredibly well, and he doesn’t just talk about mental health, he practices self-care every chance he gets. The father acknowledges that as busy parents, sometimes caring for your own needs gets lost along the way. "The self-care is the first thing that drops away. I'm happy to admit that — as a husband, as a dad," he said.

But the duke still makes an effort to find time for himself. "Okay, one of the kids has gone to school. The other one's taking a nap. There's a break in our program. It's like, right, it's either for a workout, take the dog for a walk, get out in nature, maybe meditate," Harry shared.

Harry advocated for more help for working parents who do not have the time to regularly practice self-care. "You can't expect people will put in work on themselves if you don't give them the time to do it," he said. "When people focus on inner work, these people are better at work and are better at home." 

Even as a member of the royal family, Harry struggles to be a perfect parent just like anyone else. “No matter what I put into it, I’m always kicking myself going, ‘If you’d done this, this, this, which you know works for you, then you wouldn’t be in this state now,'” he said. 

Fortunately for both Meghan and Harry, Lillibet is much calmer than her older brother. The dad said: “We’ve been very lucky so far. … (She) seems happy to just sit there while Archie is running around like crazy.”

During a rare appearance on "The Ellen Degeneres Show," Meghan opened up further about being a mother of two now. Although welcoming a new baby can be a hard adjustment for any family, Meghan was adamant that her Archie is enjoying his role as an older brother. "He loves being a big brother!" The mother of two told the daytime Emmy-winning talk show host. She added:

"Someone told H (Harry) and I that when you have one kid, it's a hobby, and two children is parenting. ... Suddenly we realized, oh right, everyone talks about what it's like for the second child, but no one talks about the adjustment for the first child when the second one comes along. So I think they have that moment of, 'Oh, this is fun ... oh, this is how it is now.'" 

Becoming a mother was one of Meghan's biggest dreams come true, and while she and Harry certainly have their hands full, there's no denying they are incredibly happy with their children in California. 

Despite stepping down from their royal duties, Harry and Meghan are still very active in philanthropy and activism. Together, they founded the foundation Archewell, and its main mission is "to drive systemic, cultural change — one act of compassion at a time." A statement from the foundation continued: "We believe that compassion is at the core of all culture and connection in this world. It shows up in all of our interactions with people and enriches our lives and the lives of those around us."

A sweet moment where Harry and Meghan were able to merge their love for philanthropy and activism with their beloved children came when Archie made a small appearance in his father's docuseries, "The Me You Can't See." Despite appearing for only a short moment, the young boy made a big impact on fans of the Sussexes around the world. 

Released in May 2021, the series was co-created and produced by Oprah Winfrey and Harry. Centered on mental health and raising awareness of the topic, the series featured the two of them discussing emotional well-being and mental health with a number of celebrity guests, including Lady Gaga, Glenn Close, and NBA players DeMar DeRozan and Langston Galloway.

The show also featured Winfrey and Harry opening up about their own experiences with mental health. Focusing on making sure viewers know they are not alone in the struggle that sometimes happens with mental health, the show's goal is to challenge stigmas and provide insights into how viewers can start the path to treatment. 

While the show is about a serious topic, there is some light relief in the form of Archie's cameo, as the public was given a clearer look at the growing toddler, who rarely makes an appearance in the photographs that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex share otherwise. 

In the docuseries, Harry candidly speaks about how the royal family failed him and his family, especially when it came to addressing mental health. The series was released not long after Harry and Meghan's high-profile interview with Winfrey, where the couple openly criticized the culture and attitude of royal family members. 

The sight of the toddler in the trailer that was released on May 17, 2021, was certainly a surprise, as the family has opted for a more private life in Montecito, California after relinquishing their royal duties in the UK, a decision that was unfairly dubbed "Megxit" by the British press.

Harry also opened up about his small family while speaking on the series, and Hello! Magazine reported that during the fifth episode, Harry told viewers about Archie's first words and the impact they had on him. Harry and Meghan were both featured in the episode where they also revealed smaller details about their life in California.

Harry said that Archie's nursery has a photo of Diana hanging on his wall, and he shared, "I got a photo of her in his nursery, and it was one of the first words that he said — apart from 'mama,' 'papa,' it was then 'grandma.' Grandma Diana."

He continued, "It's the sweetest thing, but at the same time, it makes me really sad because she should be here."

Previously, Harry had revealed to James Corden on "The Late Late Show" that Archie's first word was "crocodile." He told Corden about Archie: "He's got the most amazing personality. He's already putting three or four words together, he's already singing songs."

The fifth episode of "The Me You Can't See" also featured never-before-seen footage of Archie swinging on a hanging bench alongside his father, according to PEOPLE. It was in this video of Archie on a swing that viewers noticed his resemblance to his mother — a new detail since Archie has mostly been compared to his father otherwise.

Twitter user Julieth posted a side-by-side comparison of a baby photo of Meghan along with Archie, and it is quite clear that the toddler has taken after his beautiful mother too! She captioned her post, "Archie been looking a lot like Meghan."

Other users certainly agreed with this, as one user commented that they "always" saw the resemblance. "I have always said that Archie looks like his mother from the first time we saw him at the photo call. He's a mini Meghan with his curly and wavy hair," they wrote. Other users also commented that Archie was Meghan's mini-me.

Another person also saw that Archie's face resembled both his parents. They wrote: "I think he is changing from Harry to Meghan's faces at the moment. I can't wait to see which face will finally stick."

Now that Harry and Meghan also share a daughter, it will be thrilling to see which parent she takes after more as we see her grow up. For now, we haven't seen much of young Lilibet, but undoubtedly we'll be treated to more images and videos of her as time goes on.

In the docuseries, Harry reflected that his late mother Diana would be "proud" of the life he is currently living and has created for his family. 

He stated: "So not only do I know that she's incredibly proud of me, but that she's helped me get here. And I've never felt her presence more as I have done over the last year."  

What are your thoughts on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's beautiful family? Do you see the resemblance between Archie and Meghan? Tell us who you think Archie looks more like, and be sure to ask your friends what they think as well.