Prince Harry is seen playfully throwing Princess Lilibet into a swimming pool in new family photographs shared by Meghan Markle, offering a rare glimpse of the Sussexes' summer holiday — which included a private visit to Princess Diana's childhood home and a reunion with King Charles.
The Duchess of Sussex posted the images to Instagram on Thursday with the caption 'Summer Holiday'. One photograph shows Harry, laughing, holding five-year-old Lilibet above a pool, while another captures her walking in the sunshine between trees with Harry and Prince Archie, seven, a few paces ahead. In a third, Harry runs with the children towards the waves on a beach, as Meghan watches on. Archie is seen perched in a plane cockpit wearing a captain’s hat, learning to steer, while Meghan and Harry share a laugh at the dinner table. All photographs show the children facing away from the camera, maintaining their privacy.
“Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share private family photos from their summer holiday, including a pool moment with Lilibet and a visit to Princess Diana's Althorp estate.”
The trip came after the family secretly flew into the UK from a European holiday, where Harry had already spent several days launching the one-year countdown to his Invictus Games in Birmingham. Meghan and the children joined him privately. Their itinerary included a visit to the Althorp estate, the family home of the late Princess Diana and her final resting place. The estate was reportedly closed to the public from July 10 to 11 to allow the family privacy. Harry appeared to be carrying bouquets, suggesting they paid tribute at Diana's burial site, which sits on an island in Oval lake and is off limits to visitors. 'The trip gave Archie and Lilibet the opportunity to spend time at a place so closely tied to their late grandmother,' a source told People.
The family also reunited with King Charles for the first time in four years, hosted at Highgrove House alongside Queen Camilla. The private audience lasted over an hour and marked the first time the monarch had seen his grandchildren since Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. The reunion occurred in the same week that Harry lost his £50m phone-hacking claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail at the High Court. Earlier this month, Harry described himself as a 'full-time dad' during his short UK visit.
The beach photos have sparked speculation that the family is near their newly renovated Portugal home, which is said to be close to Princess Eugenie’s £3.6million property. The Sussexes have since returned home to Montecito, California, where they have lived since stepping back as senior working royals in 2020.