In introducing his son, Archie, to adaptive sports, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, initiated a conversation with his toddler about disabilities.
Harry showed Archie some videos of para-athletes playing rugby and basketball in their wheelchair. He told People that his boy didn't ask but, as someone who has supported people with disabilities through the Invictus Games, Harry said that he wanted to tell Archie about players whose legs were missing or might even struggle with "invisible injuries," but they are still able to play and compete in sports.
"Kids understand so much," Harry said. "To see it through his eyes was amazing because it's so unfiltered and honest."
The Duke of Sussex also said that he could not wait for the day when Archie and his younger sister, Lilibet, would take an active interest in the Invictus Games and empathize with people with disabilities. In slowly teaching his children about each person's differences, Harry kept the conversation easy to grasp for a three-year-old.
Archie inherits Prince Harry's Cheek Personality
Archie, Harry's firstborn son with wife Meghan Markle, will turn three years old in May. His father believes that Archie has inherited his cheeky personality and has been keeping their home in Santa Barbara abuzz with his antics. The toddler likes interrupting his parents during their Zoom calls for work, according to E! News.
NEW: Prince Harry opens up about fatherhood, says son Archie shares his ‘cheeky’ personality: ‘I always try and keep that….the cheekiness is something that keeps you alive.” pic.twitter.com/qYTaB91rhJ
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 20, 2022
In his speech at the re-opening of the Invictus Games in The Netherlands, Harry revealed that this early, Archie had expressed he wanted to be an astronaut or a helicopter pilot in the army, just like his father's former job. The proud royal dad said that he has also been talking to his son about the importance of having character no matter what he wants to pursue.
Harry and Meghan had been raising their son and daughter, who is ten months old, in Santa Barbara, California, when they decided to give up their royal duties in 2020 with the British Royal Family. The Duke of Sussex said that he appreciates how the California community welcomed him with "open arms."
Prince Harry's Promise to Queen Elizabeth
Meanwhile, Harry had an unannounced in-person meeting with his 96-year-old grandmother, the Queen, in Windsor Castle before the opening of the Invictus Games. According to Elle, Harry promised Queen Elizabeth II that she would get to hug Archie and Lilibet "in the near future."
The Queen last saw Archie as a six-month-old baby when the Sussexes left London just weeks before the pandemic lockdown. Since then, the Sussex children have not returned to their father's homeland. Lilibet was born in the U.S., while Archie was born in London.
On the other hand, Harry visited London two times since his move to California. In 2021, he briefly went home for his grandfather's funeral, Prince Philip. On his recent return to London, Harry was also said to have met with his father, Prince Charles, for 15 minutes.
