Prince Harry says he wants to teach Archie and Lilibet about finding ‘purpose’

Prince Harry has revealed he wants to teach his children Archie and Lili about the importance of ‘finding your purpose’ in life. 

The Duke of Sussex, 37, who is currently in The Hague for the Invictus Games, served in the Army for ten years, rising to the rank of Captain and undertaking two tours of Afghanistan.

The royal, who is raising his son Archie, nearly three, and his daughter Lilibet, ten months, with his wife Meghan Markle in California, was asked by People Magazine what he plans to tell his children about his time in the Army.  

While the father of two was stripped of his military titles when he stepped down as a senior royal in 2020, he said his career taught him how to be ‘in true service’ to others.

Prince Harry revealed he wants to talk to his children about his time in the British Army and how it helped him find his purpose. Pictured with Meghan Markle, 40, and their two children, Archie, who turns three on May 6 and Lilibet, who is ten months old  

‘I am grateful for every experience I had in and out of my uniform,’ he said.

‘I learned how to be in true service for others. That finding your purpose is one of the most gratifying experiences. And that working hard should be fulfilling and rewarding at the same time,’ he added. 

The royal created the Invictus Games in 2014 and has been deeply involved in the event since then. 

The father-of-two said he cannot wait to bring his children to the event, and that Archie, his oldest, already knows about the competition. 

The Prince, pictured at the Invictus Games on Wednesday, said he learned what true service is while serving in the British Army for ten years, completing two tours of Afghanistan  

Pictured: Prince Harry with fellow soldiers during a 12 hour shift at the British controlled flight-line in Camp Bastion in 2012

Harry revealed he showed Archie some video clips from the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney. 

The ‘proud papa’ said he explained to his son, who turns three on May 6, about the visible injuries some of the players had, and the mental injuries some carried too because of their time in the Army. 

The Duke of Sussex also revealed that organising the Games while being a father himself brought an extra layer of emotion to the event.  

Harry revealed that he promised himself to find a wife and to have children only after he’d left the service because he could not bear being apart for so long, as well as the risk of being injured or killed. 

The father-of-two went on to say that most of the people who are taking part in the Games have experienced these issues to varying degrees, and that he had deep respect for them because of it. 

Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, could join the Queen and senior royals on the balcony following Trooping the Colour but it would be in an informal role, following their decision to step down as working members of the Royal Family. Pictured, the Sussexes in The Hague over the weekend

The royal said he was happy to be able to share the Games with his wife Meghan, and admitted he had always wanted someone to spend these moments with.  

Their visit marked the couple’s first stretch of time in Europe since the start of the pandemic in 2020.  

Their daughter, Lilibet, has not met the Queen or Prince Charles, while little Archie hasn’t seen his paternal grandparents or great-grandparents since he was six months old.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex secretly met with the Queen in Windsor before the Games kicked off in the Netherlands. 

The Royal Family assembling on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour is always a striking sight, but this year’s could be particularly poignant as it might well be the last of the Queen’s reign. Pictured, the Royal Family, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, at Trooping the Colour in June 2019, the last before Megxit

The Queen, who turned 96 this week, has been struggling with mobility issues and uses a walking stick on public outings. Pictured, the Queen in Cardiff in October 2021 

And the Monarch is reportedly very keen for Harry and Meghan to join her at Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour because it might be the last big family balcony appearance of her reign, it has been reported.   

The Queen, who turned 96 on Thursday, has been struggling with mobility issues and uses a walking stick on public outings. Longer engagements, like the Duke of Edinburgh‘s service of thanksgiving, must be meticulously planned to reduce the amount of time Her Majesty spends on her feet.  

By next year’s Trooping the Colour, which will take place two months after the Queen’s 97th birthday, there is a chance the task of standing on the balcony to watch the fly past would prove to much of a physical strain for Her Majesty. 

Prince Charles has also made clear his desire to debut a ‘slimmed down’ monarchy once he ascends the throne. It could mean that in future Trooping the Colour will only be attended by the monarch and their line of descendants – the Cambridges – rather than the big family gathering it is today. 

The Queen’s frailty means she won’t be able to attend every Jubilee celebration on the schedule. However she is hoping to watch Trooping the Colour then appear on the balcony with her family. 

Typically, the Queen is joined by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, as well as more distant relatives like her niece, nephew and cousins. 

She has extended the invitation to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who she saw together for the first time in more than two years when they stopped off at Windsor Castle last week on their way to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games. 

Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, would attend in an informal role, following their decision to step down as working members of the Royal Family. 

‘The moment will be particularly poignant as it will likely mark the last big family balcony appearance of her reign,’ the Daily Telegraph reported 

Harry and Meghan reportedly promised the Queen that she will get to hug her great-grandchildren Archie and Lilibet ‘in the near future’ when they met her at Windsor Castle last week, before continuing to The Hague for the Invictus Games.

However, sources warned that the Sussexes’ attendance will have to be carefully managed, and will involve a ‘leap of faith’ from all sides after the couple made a string of damaging claims, including bombshell allegations of racism against an unnamed senior royal made in their Oprah tell-all last year, since they quit royal life and moved to Montecito. 

Harry would also have to backtrack amid a row over his security, after he launched legal action against the Home Office, alleging that he didn’t feel safe bringing his family to the UK following the Government’s decision not to provide them with police protection.

A spokesperson for the Sussexes told the Daily Telegraph on Monday that they were not in a position to discuss future travel plans.

The Queen is determined to attend as many events as possible over her four-day Platinum Jubilee weekend, although her mobility issues mean she will not be as prominent as she once would have been.