Prince Harry details Lilibet’s first steps and Archie’s career dreams

Prince Harry has revealed his daughter Lilibet, 10 months, has ‘taken her first steps’ and is ‘trying to keep up with her big brother Archie’. In an interview with People magazine, the Duke of Sussex , 37, revealed he ‘can’t wait’ to take his children to the Invictus Games in the future and that Archie, who turns three next month, wants to follow in his footsteps to become a helicopter pilot.

The royal, who is currently at the Invictus Games in The Hague, added he’s a ‘proud papa’ and that little Archie ‘loved’ videos of wheelchair basketball and rugby that he showed him from the Invictus Games in Sydney in 2018. ‘I showed him how some were missing legs and explained that some had invisible injuries, too,’ he said. ‘Not because he asked, but because I wanted to tell him. Kids understand so much, and to see it through his eyes was amazing because it’s so unfiltered and honest.’

He added the the US tabloid: ‘When I talk to my son Archie (pictured in 2019) about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it’s an astronaut, other days it’s a pilot — a helicopter pilot obviously — or Kwazii from Octonauts,’ referring to a daredevil cat from a children’s cartoon. ‘But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, it’s your character that matters most, and nothing would make his mum and me prouder than to see him have the character of what we see before us today,’ he added.

Speaking about the Invictus Games – where wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women compete, he went on: ‘Being a dad certainly adds another emotional layer to it. When I was in the Army, I promised myself I would be out before having a wife and kids, because I couldn’t imagine the heartache of being apart for so long during deployment, the risk of possibly getting injured, and the reality that my family’s lives could be changed forever if that happened.’ 

Lilibet (pictured) has not met the Queen or Prince Charles, while little Archie – seventh in line to the British throne – hasn’t seen his paternal grandparents or great-grandparents since he was six months old. Meanwhile, Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, 40, made a visit to the Queen this week and told her she will be able to hug her great-grandchildren in ”the near future’ according to reports.

Harry’s comments today come as Buckingham Palace officials prepare for further bombshell revelations from Prince Harry after a major US TV network announced that he had given them a sit-down interview during the Invictus Games. Pictured: Harry and Meghan hug Lisa Johnston, a former army medic and amputee, who celebrates with her medal at the Invictus Games venue in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, April 17, 2022.

NBC’s Today show revealed that the Duke of Sussex had spoken to presenter Hoda Kotb while in the Netherlands about ‘the Invictus Games, his surprise visit with the Queen and life with his wife Meghan Markle’. The chat will be previewed on NBC Nightly News tonight, which airs at 11.30pm UK time (6.30pm Eastern Time, in New York) – and then shown in full tomorrow on the Today program from 12pm UK time (7am Eastern Time).

The Palace will be concerned that Harry could make further claims about the Royal Family only a year after his infamous interview to Oprah Winfrey on CBS in which he and Meghan accused unnamed royals of racism.

The Duke has a deeply strained relationship with his family – especially his father Prince Charles and brother Prince William – and missed last month’s memorial service at Westminster Abbey for his grandfather Prince Philip. Harry’s meeting with the Queen and Charles last Thursday before he arrived in The Hague was supposedly secret, but he has already revealed that it was ‘great to see her’ – and could now give more details about their discussion.