We’re still talking about when the royal family will meet Archie Harrison for the first time. The Queen and Prince Philip obviously met Archie just two days after he was born, but within Archie’s first week on earth, his Auntie Kate and Uncle Will still hadn’t visited, and neither had Grandpa Charles. According to USA Today’s palace sources, Charles and Camilla plan on meeting Archie later this week, and People Magazine says the Cambridges plan on meeting Archie today at Frogmore Cottage. A source also said that “Harry and Meghan spent the weekend enjoying their first weekend as parents, celebrating Mother’s Day, and had visits from a few friends.” Sounds peaceful. Harry returned from his day trip to the Netherlands quickly too, but he’ll be going away AGAIN in a few weeks:
Prince Harry will leave behind baby Archie and wife Meghan Markle to go abroad for a second time just weeks after his son was born. The Duke of Sussex, 34, is heading to Rome on Friday May 24 to take part in the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup.
The charity match will help raise funds and awareness for Sentebale, which supports thousands of youth affected by HIV in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi. Prince Harry is a patron of the charity, which was founded by The Duke and Prince Seeiso in 2006 to help protect young people and children in southern Africa.
This one-day engagement in Rome will be the second overseas trip in under three weeks, despite Harry saying he would take a full two weeks paternity leave to “prove he’s a modern dad.” During his Italian visit, Harry will play on the Sentebale St. Regis team captained by Sentebale Ambassador Nacho Figueras, against a U.S. Polo Assn team that will be captained by Malcolm Borwick.
I really dislike the British media’s attempts to make some kind of bizarre point about Harry’s paternity leave. As I keep saying, they’ve arranged it so that they can hit Harry and Meghan for literally anything – if Harry disappeared for a month of lowkey paternity leave, they would criticize him for being too modern, too hands on, too much of a new-age dad and who does he think he is? If he scheduled a dozen events in the first month of Archie’s life, they would clutch their pearls about how heartless he is to leave his newborn son and who does he think he is? It’s pretty clear that Harry feels strongly about his charitable commitments and patronages and it’s pretty clear that he’s spending a lot of time with his (POLO) baby.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid and WENN.
I really feel bad for Harry and Megs. It’s like they can do nothing right. They are constantly getting criticized for their actions. I love that pic of Harry with the onesie, he looks like he would be so much fun to hang with and he seems to be in love with his baby boy 😍
Me too. It’s relentless…and they wonder why Harry wants his son to lead a non-working royal life.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: There is literally NOTHING the British press won’t criticize about the Sussex family. Nothing.
I hope Harry has a good time at his polo game. He might even enjoy getting away for the day. I hope Meghan gets some time to herself too!
I remember when Chrissy Teigen was blasted because she and John Legend went out to dinner a few days after their baby was born. I don’t know why people portray parenthood as some type of prison where you can never leave your child. It’s also insulting to the millions of men and women around the world who have no other choice but to work after their children are born. It’s not like the royals have difficult schedules. These engagements are once or twice a week for a couple of hours.
This.
It’s ridiculous. He’s not going off for a year. He can still see his baby plenty and squeeze in some appearances. It’s like the British press want to normalize the Cambridges near-complete disappearing act now that they want to elevate them and bring down the Sussexes.
Plus, Rome is not that far away from England!
Traditional journalism and royal reporting is almost being rendered obsolete by social media. Journalists see the Sussexes as a lifeboat to cling on to and milk dry for as long as possible.
Yeah, they were going to criticize him no matter what. But I think these two particular engagements make total sense – both the polo tournament and the invictus events – because they are clearly things that are near and dear to his heart. He’s not jetting off for a few days for some random charity that he has never supported before.
And neither are they jetting off for a 2 week vacation, leaving their 6 month old baby with the brand new nanny and MIL to look after while they get diving certificates in Mauritius. The press weren’t clutching their pearls over that.
Wow, who did that? The Cambridges??
Using parenting shaming as a response to parenting shaming isn’t cool. Why does it upset you that a couple went on vacation and left their child with trained & trusted people? I wish people would stop judging, period.
I don’t think anyone is upset. I’m not. I’m just curious. It is a gossip site after all.
I’m not upset, just calling out the hypocrisy of the press and stans (not directed at the OP) who criticise one couple for everything and praise the other for anything. At the time the story was spun like some sort of romantic mini babymoon, am sure you will agree that if the Sussex’s did this they would be called out much worse than the way Harry is being now.
Because the Cambridge children clearly show signs of emotional abandonment.
I think DU’s point is that the press was silent when W&K did that, but they will rip Harry for going away for one day even though Archie is with his mom. Just another frustrating example of the double standard when it comes to the treatment of these two.
I mean can you IMAGINE the headlines if H&M left Archie to go learn scuba diving on an island vacation?
Lorelei
You see no difference between a newborn and a six month old?
Do you think the press would act any differently in six months? That by then they will be kind and fair in their treatment of Meghan?
pat/mat leave isn’t a prison sentence, it is time to bond, nest, support and also practice self care.
This event is huge for Harry and always has been, I am glad he has the resources to be able to do both…support his new family AND a charity so near to his heart.
And seriously the tit for tat is exhausting.
Good point, Digital Unicorn. We were force fed all those stories about how W&K couldn’t work more because they were now parents. Parents who have no problem leaving their 8 month old for a 2 week vacation. They left 6-8 week old Charlotte to go on another beach vacation, the one where Kate earned her SCUBA certs.
They can’t be away from the children to work, but no problem going on luxury vacations without them? Pointing out W&K’s hypocrisy is not parent shaming. It is pointing out their blatant lies.
@lorelei. Yes that’s my point exactly. The double standards are so obvious that my mind boggles that people still refuse to see it.
I’d also like to remind people about the infamous comment Kate made before that vacation about how WIlliam hadn’t been around much for the first 6 months of George’s life. Again crickets from the press except to paint it as a joke.
All this does is reiterate the hypocrisy of the press, the stans and the lies peddled by the Cambridge’s as a normal perfect middle class family. The press would never dare print anything like this about the Cambridge’s.
I shudder to think of the headlines when Meghan does return to public duties and am sure she will sooner than we think.
Same old mean-girling. Same old justifications.
Yes, DU. As much as some want to pretend otherwise, facts about W&K are facts. As is the fact of the press treating them so much better than Harry and Meghan.
@Monica who is mean-girling? What justifications? All we’re discussing is the difference in treatment from the media that the Sussexes receive compared to the Cambridges. I honestly have no idea what your point is.
Her point is “poor Katie Keen, everyone is so mean to her, her life is so much harder than Meghan’s”
My parents left my sister (at 8 mos.) with my grandparents, and took my brother and me to Tahoe/Yosemite for a 10 days (he was 10 and I was 8). No biggie. She was well cared for with people who loved her more than anything in the world.
W&K leaving George with Granny (and Gramps, and Auntie) and Nanny…no biggie. He was with people he loved and who loved him. Let’s not forget, too, TQ left her kids for for 6 mos. going off on tour. While they were with Nannies and TQM, I don’t think TQM showered them with the same time/attention/affection as Carole would do for her grands.
If H&M want to go on a vacation together, as a couple, after Archie is a little older, why the hell not? Being a parent ISN”T being ball-and-chained to your child 24/7. They will be required to leave him for work/tours (esp. once he/they are in school).
And yes, I do believe the press will call out different standards for H&M with this. Their PR person would be remiss not to point out the parallels above in their own releases when the time comes.
Whatever. Let the press and the royal reporters be their petty selves. The sussexroyal Instagram account prove its 7.9 million followers don’t give a flip what they think or say.
The Cambridge visit should be interesting because what came out about Bill egging on the press to write about Bad Dad…and with Doria there. Charles will be interesting because there may be a picture of him holding Archie published.
OMG, Britain’s racism I see is alive and well. There’s nothing these two can do to please them. It must really hurt the racists that Harry and Megs are so popular worldwide, whereas Willy is a bit of a throw away.
I’d much rather meet Harry and Megs.
Hope they look at worldwide media and see how much people like them, and keep doing their thing.
The tabloids have no stories and people want to hear stories about the Sussexes.
So of course the tabloids will make a big deal over everything.
It’s too bad William and Kate are not more supportive of Harry and Meghan. The ball, of course, is in William’s court on that. I don’t like William. He’s as stuffy and standoffish as his father. How about watching out for your kid brother, William? I know he could do more to get the press off Harry’s back, but he refuses. Selfish and indifferent. And Harry is such a sweetie. Stand up for your brother, William. That’s an act befitting of a future king.
Yet Charles is the future king and TQ is the actual Queen of England. Are they too selfish and indifferent?
I believe their policy is basically to ignore this kind of random yapping by the press.
HM and Charles moved Harry and Meghan out of the KP offices, office staff controlled by William and slanted towards him. They let them hire a big gun, political staffer to head up communications. Those things speak volumes.
Yet has zero to do with stepping in to get the press off their backs, which is supposedly Williams job which was the post I replied to.
William actively being part of the smear campaign against Harry and Meghan is why HM and Charles stepped in. Mid-year and shared budget to make it happen right away to address the problem that is William the Petulant.
None of us know what happens behind the scenes. Harry also has the ability to make an official complaint about the press and he has not done so. Some people within the palace allegedly feel that Harry’s statement in 2016 made the tabloid media angry and that is why part of this is happening. That might be why the Sussexes have been silent.
“Clutching their Pearls, 🙂 And the beautiful photo contradicts crazy. Harry’s firm grip on the little guy. He’s so protective.
I guess I’m not sure why he bothered saying he was going to take a paternity leave if he’s going to be on to trip number two in three weeks since the baby was born.
I know they don’t have a normal work schedule, and I know that the press has been absolutely cruel towards Meghan. But I feel like everyone was so pumped up to see Harry doing something that’s sadly still not super normal for men to do that we kind of over-hype how great he is sometimes. The guys I work with that are dads have taken a week or two of vacation time when their kids were born. That time is spent solidly helping their recovering partners and sharing in the baby duties and bonding. I’m not saying he had to completely clear his schedule to be considered a good dad – but it’s weird that it was such a ‘thing’ when it seems like he’s working semi-normally.
I am definitely a Sussex defender and in don’t think these 2 short trips are a big deal, but I’m actually just kinda happy to see a man get criticized for this.
It just kind of comes off as wanting to be praised for doing it… but carrying on normally? I don’t know. I really like the two of them, but I think Harry tends to get a lot of passes.
I don’t think the trips themselves are terrible or anything – but I honestly would be pretty upset if my husband had left for a trip a week or so after our child had been born. I know she has her mom as help, and is a lot more privileged than I am – but I would be bothered especially because it’s not like his career depended on it. The first few weeks are so exhausting while your body heals because it’s working overtime – and when I’m feeling especially run down and awful, it’s my husband who I want next to me.
I just think it’d have been really great to see a younger guy taking a completely non-working paternity leave to really make a point that having a baby isn’t about the mother doing all the work. I don’t doubt that he hauls his weight with the baby, but I think it’s important to make this kind of thing extra visible, and if you’re still going out to big events it’s not driving the point home in the same way.
If he cancelled these events, he’d be attacked more. Two days away from their son in two weeks. Not like William leaving Kate and son for 5-6 months, as Kate told a group in New Zealand.
These trips are raising funds and awareness for charities. These aren’t fun trips where he’s hanging out with friends on the beach. I think we need to stop overreacting over every decision Harry and Meghan make. They aren’t our role models, and they never once said they wanted to be. The Sussexes are not even the future monarch and Consort. It’s odd that we expect more of them than Charles and Camilla and Will and Kate.
At the moment Harry is in Oxford, according to Omid Scobie, who mentioned this visit would occur a few days ago. Visited the children’s hospital, then the sports center opened by his mother in 1989 that supports people with disabilities.
Omid also did a couple of interesting twitter posts in the last couple of days. In particular:
“I’ve noticed some people seem to enjoy tweeting nasty comments about certain individuals underneath my posts. Everyone is entitled to voice their opinion on here, but I won’t tolerate hate of mean-spiritedness towards others on my feed. Please think twice before hitting send.”
If he were cutting the ribbon for a new factory, I would agree with you. On these two trips, I think it’s ok for him to work a day or two. Both trips are for charity. Invictus being the most notable. It’s his initiative that is geared to supporting others, who cleared their schedules to be at the event. I think Harry did the right thing in keeping his commitments. Unlike most men, Harry has the resources to make the trip in one day and be back home to Meghan and Archie. It’s not like he’s working 12 hours each day and leaving her home alone to take care of Archie.
I guess I just have mixed feelings here. I know it’s a great initiative, and it’s kind of his ‘first’ baby. And I think it’s a wonderful cause, and it brings a lot of awareness resources, and happiness to others. I mean, it’d be at least 5 hours (there and back) of flying if you’re going non-stop, I believe which obviously he would. So it’s not a SUPER short trip, but definitely not a huge excursion either.
I mean, I don’t think he should be full on hated for it, or anything. I just think that if you’re going to tell the world how important it is to take a paternity leave it looks kind of weird when you’re still working through it. I think so many men kind of look down on each other for taking a paternity leave, and women will look down on some men too. I think it’s great that he’s cutting back his schedule, but I guess I was just hoping a bigger deal would have been made about the importance of taking leave to bond with your child as a father.
It’s just a minor ‘meh’ complaint, I guess. Nothing I’m angry about, just vaguely disappointed I guess.
Erinn, did Harry say he was taking a paternity leave? If not, it’s possible he planned this all along – to do a few things that are close to his heart while setting aside plenty of time for his family.
(I remember reports about him taking leave and that one old reporter criticizing him for it, but I don’t remember it coming from them that he was doing it. Which means almost nothing as I easily could have missed it.)
When did Harry supposedly say this? I know tabs said this, but I don’t remember Harry actually saying this.
That’s a good point. I saw a lot of women talking gleefully about him doing it – so it wasn’t just a negative spin coming from the tabs. I think whenever something ‘good’ comes up in the press about Harry that we kind of take it as fact.
I think I’m remembering that Dickie guy saying pretty definitively that Harry was going to take it. And then a friend said “He doesn’t need to take paternity leave because he doesn’t work in the way most people do, but he thinks it’s a very modern Dad thing to do.”
So I suppose you’re right – he didn’t personally come out and say it. But the idea worked so well with the Harry the Feminist (which I do believe he is) excitement, that I just took it as fact.
You took what Tricky Dick Arbiter said as fact? LOL
There they go again. Obsessing over the irrelevant harry and his family. What’s “I’m so popular” William doing? Oh that’s right doing a mental health thing with Katy Perry. Guess that’s not too Hollywood but working with one of the most influential women in the world (oprah) is 🤷♀️
He had an event today. He’s clearly showing that he can work an abbreviated schedule of 1-2 visits a week and be assured Meghan and Archie are fine.
Carole, the KP office staff, the obsessed Meghan haters?
@Nota I know. These stories are ridiculous. Not sure if the purpose of slamming Harry is going to work in their favor. Highlighting it can be done does not put the Cambs in a better light.
True. The courtiers and the royal press are afraid the people will rise up and demand a change in the succession for a King Henry IX (Harry) and Queen Consort Meghan. That’s not going to happen.
🙄🙄🙄 The British public is at best apathetic about the royals in general there’s literally no one except hardcore fans who want Harry as king
The courtiers at BP, KP and CH are so scared of Meghan that they ran to the press again, stressing that Harry is sixth in line, and they need to take know their place in the pecking order and not schedule appearances on days when the Queen, Charles and William are appearing .
No wonder that trip in the Netherlands was cancelled.
And they hired the new PR to keep Meghan in control, ‘as if.’
The courtiers will have to get use to their popularity, regardless of the mean stories they leaked.
Saying BP was agast when Meghan issued a statement, saying her father was not coming to the wedding, using the excuse, never explain, never complain, unless you’re the heir.
Now they’re thinking Meghan and Harry are going to set up court at Frogmore Cottage, has no one ever said No or Why to the courtiers before?
Meghan, did asked the Queen, what was her preference in which car door to use.
Oh my! Some people are really dramatic when it comes to Harry and Meghan. Harry worked two days out of the week. That’s not hard at all. Harry is not the future King. Why are members of the press so obsessed with him and Meghan? Their personal family choices should have no influence on any of our households. So why do some people think they should have control over this couple’s life? You are too fixated on famous people if you let their choices hurt or disappoint you.
Harry in Rome? I could see him!
I don’t care that Harry is going on another trip so soon after his child was born, but there’s no way he would be getting a pass on it from so many people if he was a woman. I still remember how Marcia Cross got criticized heavily for getting coffee a few days after her babies were born. Her husband, who was also getting coffee, was not criticized at all.
Harry seems like a pretty high energy person. So what’s he going to do all day? Stand over Archie’s crib and watch him sleep and poop? He probably made these commitments months ago or even years ago, so I don’t think it’s any big deal to keep them. For all we know Meg may be telling him “Go, get out of the house, I want to take a nap!” .
THANK YOU! As the parent of multiples, I’m always like, “isn’t it just one baby? How many adults need to be there 24/7 for one baby?” Meghan is there, her mom is there, and they have staff to cook/clean/whatever. I’m sure they can manage without Harry for a day or two.
I’ll say it-I wish he embraced paternity leave completely. It’s two weeks. Many fathers get zero paternity leave. For those asking what he could be doing at home? I can think of a lot of things. I’m sure those same things are things Harry would pass on to a nanny or Meghan’s Mom. But there is a ton of value in everyday things with new dads. Skin to skin contact, supporting his wife, changing diapers, getting Meghan lunch, telling her to take a shower-all things that mean nothing to him because he has help (whether they’re admitting to it or not). The optics on this are poor, in my opinion, when the obvious idea behind him taking paternity leave was to show how important it is.
But he is only going to be away for a day. He sees no reason to mess up the schedules of other people because he has become a father.
Hats off to this guy. I don’t think much of royals in general but he seems like a really good guy with a sense of responsibility.
How else is Meghan going to get to hold Archie?!
😉 🧸 👶🏻
Lol!
Christ, my dad went to work the same morning I was born, after being in the hospital all night with my mom. For sure, times are a bit different now, but come on. This is real life for most people, we have responsibilities beyond just our families, being away for a few hours won’t kill anyone 😏
The first few weeks at home with my first child were so quiet and peaceful*** for the most part. I felt like I had plenty of time to handle the house and my child, so I encouraged my husband to catch up on work before things started to get hectic. I could see M encouraging H the same way – your important work is happening, I got this and have help, so go do stuff you care about before things change and the baby’s needs (and awake time) increase. ***my child’s first 6 weeks were in the NICU, so being home felt like a piece of cake after that.