Meghan Markle offered a peek into a relaxed weekend with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet whilst Prince Harry returned to Britain for his high-stakes court case. The Duchess of Sussex shared several Instagram stories capturing her and the youngsters basking in the California sunshine at their Montecito residence.
One video revealed Meghan’s verdant garden whilst daughter Lilibet played in their swimming pool alongside Meghan’s mother, Doria. A further clip showed Lilibet displaying her shopping list in the kitchen, with her chosen items laid out on the worktop.
In another touching moment, Archie was filmed feeding a rhino during an outing to the Living Desert Zoo in Palm Springs – and as a zoo employee explained how the animals can tip the scales at 3,000lbs, the six year old could be heard responding “what” in an American accent.
Meghan’s Instagram posts featuring the children emerged as Harry smiled and expressed gratitude to a well-wisher who offered encouragement upon his arrival at the High Court in London this morning for a fresh legal confrontation.
He joins several other prominent individuals pursuing action against the Daily Mail’s publisher over claims of unlawful information gathering, with proceedings commencing today. Harry, Sir Elton John, his spouse David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, politician Sir Simon Hughes and actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley are all pursuing claims against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
The Duke of Sussex is understood to have returned to the UK yesterday and is expected to be staying in London until the end of the week. His father, Charles, will at the start of the week be 500 miles away in Scotland performing Royal duties, but will return to London to resume his cancer treatment on Tuesday.
The King will carry out engagements in the capital next week; however, Royal sources have confirmed that neither side requested a meeting with the other, and no arrangements have been made to see one another.
Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales will also be in Scotland next week, travelling to Stirling and Falkirk on Tuesday. There they will be shining a spotlight on unique Scottish heritage traditions and how they are continuing to connect communities and inspire new generations.
Harry, 41, is set to give evidence on Thursday and is then expected to return to his home in California, where he lives with his wife Meghan and their two children Archie, six and Lilibet, four. The Duke will not be accompanied by the Duchess of Sussex on his trip, while speculation has mounted in recent weeks as to whether Meghan, 44, is planning to return to the UK for the first time since 2022.
The King last saw Harry in person in May last year, following the Duke of Sussex ‘s losing his appeal for taxpayer funded security when he returns to the UK.
He encountered his father at Clarence House in London, marking their first in-person meeting since February 2024. Harry has asserted that he no longer deems it safe to bring his wife and children to the UK due to grave worries about their safety.
