The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have long spoken about the importance of protecting their family’s privacy, recently travelled with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to Portugal before making a brief visit to Britain for a private reunion with King Charles at Highgrove.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the family gathering only after Meghan and the children had left the UK.
Days later, however, Meghan gave followers an inside look into the trip, posting a collection of personal family photographs on Instagram under the simple caption, “Summer Holiday.”
The images included relaxed moments by the sea, visits to local restaurants and shops, and family walks.
One photograph in particular attracted widespread attention, appearing to show Prince Harry and Prince Archie carrying flowers as they walked towards the resting place of Princess Diana at Althorp, the Spencer family’s ancestral estate.
Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, Daily Mail royal editor Rebecca English questioned the decision to make such private moments public.
She argued that it appeared at odds with the couple’s long-standing concerns about privacy and media intrusion.
Rebecca also found it surprising that photographs from such an intimate family trip including beach scenes and a visit to Diana’s grave had been shared publicly after years of criticism over the exposure of the family’s private life.
Fellow commentator Richard Eden echoed those concerns, suggesting the images carried additional significance because Meghan’s Instagram account is closely linked to her lifestyle brand, As Ever.
He argued that the photograph believed to show Harry and Archie visiting Princess Diana’s memorial stood out as one of the most personal moments in the collection.
Since stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Harry and Meghan have repeatedly spoken about wanting greater control over how their family’s story is told, while also choosing to share carefully selected glimpses of their lives through documentaries, interviews and social media.
2026-08-01 00:00:00
