Following Prince Harry’s BBC interview, where he shared his hopes for reconciliation with his family, Meghan Markle posted an endearing black and white photo of her husband and their kids on Instagram.
On May 4, 2025, the Duchess of Sussex gave her followers a glimpse into a warm familial moment shared between the Duke of Sussex and their kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The widely-discussed Instagram image, which prompted speculative comments online, follows Prince Harry losing his court appeal concerning his legal battle over the downgrade of his U.K. security.
The picture Meghan shared — absent of a caption — speaks entirely through its composition. Set against the lush serenity of a well-manicured garden, the black-and-white photo captures Harry from behind, walking barefoot on the grass with his children.
Archie, holding his father’s hand, walks closely beside him, while Lilibet is perched atop her dad’s shoulders, her tiny legs dangling as she’s carried forward. Towering trees and blooming bushes frame the trio, creating a soft, almost dreamlike backdrop that evokes a sense of tranquility.
The open gate in the foreground invites the viewer into the scene, subtly reinforcing the idea of vulnerability and access — a rare glimpse into the family’s private world, offered without a single word.
As the serene image made its rounds online, reactions poured in — and they were far from uniform. Many viewers honed in on Archie, with several commenting on his surprising stature.
One person remarked, “My, how Archie has grown,” while another echoed the sentiment, “If Archie is just 5 – [sic] he is very tall for his age.” A similar observation came from someone else, who wrote, “Oh suddenly the Arch appears to be taller…given the height of his parents that’s unexpected [sic].”
Expressing doubt over the child’s identity, one commenter marveled, “Is this supposed to be Archi!!! He looks tall, as a 10 years old kid [sic].”
Questions surrounding the image’s authenticity began surfacing, too. One observer honed in on specific details of the photo, such as Harry’s legs and his son’s height, wondering if the image was altered in any way.
Another posed a more general suspicion, penning, “Picture looks photoshopped. Harry’s left ankle has an odd bend.”
The same oddity was highlighted in a separate reaction — “Oh No, poor Harry! Has he broken his left ankle? That’s an extremely odd looking [sic] bend there, on an inordinately long lower leg!” Someone else added, “Poor Harry’s left leg snapped at the shin [sic].”
Lastly, one netizen shifted focus back to Archie, questioning, “What is wrong with Archie. [sic] Something doesn’t look right.”
The swirling commentary surrounding Meghan’s photo, much of it speculative and critical, emerged only days after Harry’s revealing interview with the BBC. Aired on May 2, 2025, the conversation painted a far more somber picture behind the scenes of the Sussexes’ public life.
Speaking candidly from California, Harry expressed his desire to reconnect with his estranged relatives, sharing, “I would love reconciliation with my family […] there’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”
Despite acknowledging that some wounds may never fully heal, particularly following the publication of his memoir, “Spare,” the Duke of Sussex insisted that “life is precious” and emphasized that reconciliation cannot happen without truth.
Yet, a hopeful tone gave way to resignation as he admitted to being currently cut off from his father, King Charles III. “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff,” Harry stated. He even reflected on his father’s mortality, asserting, “I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
The prince also revealed that although he longs for resolution, he believes Charles remains unwilling to engage. “I don’t think he’d ever want to talk about it,” Harry divulged.
In the wake of the final decision concerning Harry’s legal appeal over his right to receive police protection while visiting the U.K., the prince claimed that he had never been offered the chance to advocate for himself during the decision-making process.
“The first place that they went to was the palace to understand what it is that the royal household or what the royal family wants for me,” he explained, hinting that the royal household’s stance had significantly influenced the outcome. “I have never ever been allowed or, uh, offered to make my own representations.”
Despite expressing a deep yearning to heal familial rifts, Harry made it clear in the same interview that a return to Britain with his wife and children is not on the horizon.
“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point,” he admitted. Harry spoke about what Archie and Lilibet would miss by being away from his homeland — “everything,” he said simply, later adding, “I miss the U.K. I miss parts of the U.K. Of course I do.”
That painful distance, he suggested, is directly tied to his ongoing security concerns — worries he claims were never properly addressed.
Harry recounted how, at the beginning of 2020, he had been assessed as carrying the highest level of personal risk. Yet overnight, that rating was inexplicably reduced to the lowest, without going through the usual Risk Management Board process.
“One does question how that is even possible and also the motive behind that at the time,” he reflected. What troubled him even more was the lack of any new assessment in the five years since.”Everybody else within this group of people gets it at the minimum once a year,” he pointed out. Throughout the legal proceedings, the prince said he uncovered facts that confirmed his worst fears.
“I have all of the truth, I have all of the knowledge now throughout the legal process,” he emphasized, calling out what he described as a structural failure in accountability.
Most shocking, he revealed, was learning that members of the royal household — including the king’s private secretary — sit on the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC), the body responsible for royal security decisions.
“My jaw hit the floor,” Harry recalled, stating that he had not known of their involvement until 2021, two years into the dispute.
While he stopped short of blaming his father directly, he offered a poignant clarification, “I’ve never asked him to intervene. I’ve asked him to step out of the way and let the experts do their job.”
Just two days before Meghan’s endearing Instagram photo, the courts handed down a definitive ruling on the matter that has haunted Harry for years.
Regarding Harry’s appeal concerning his security status in the U.K., on May 2, 2025, the Court of Appeal concluded, “Accordingly, the Duke of Sussex’s appeal would be dismissed.”
The ruling came after a protracted legal battle between Harry and the U.K. Home Department, in which the Duke challenged the 2020 decision to downgrade his official security after stepping back from royal duties.
That decision, made by the RAVEC, withdrew automatic police protection for Harry and Meghan during visits to the U.K.
