Meghan and Harry have been enjoying British country life with their children, as they were seen splashing in muddy puddles and walking the dogs in the woods in a new Instagram video.
In what is the first time the couple has been pictured together in Britain since their return, the family has shared a series of happy family videos on Meghan’s social media.
Harry and Meghan are first shown walking hand in hand in wellingtons through the woods, with Meghan beckoning to the camera, presumably held by one of the children, and saying, ‘Come on, you!’
Princess Lilibet, 5, is seen warming her little bare feet next to the fire, humming contentedly, and then wellies that appear to be worn by Archie, 7, splash into the scene in a muddy puddle.
The next shot is of Lilibet on a pink tasselled bicycle fitted with a doll in its chair on the back, riding towards a group of deer across a track in a park.
‘Archie!’ Harry calls out to his son as he runs on camera, sporting a pink shirt and blue wellies.
Meghan and Harry are shown walking in wellingtons through the woods, with Meghan beckoning to the camera, presumably held by one of the children, and saying ‘Come on, you!’
Lilibet on a pink tasselled bicycle fitted with a dolly in its chair on the back, rides towards a group of deer across a track in a park while her brother Archie runs ahead
Next is a family fishing trip accompanied by their Labrador, Pula. ‘I got this’, says Archie in what appears to be an American accent
The family’s Labrador, Pula, is then seen bounding down another wooded track lined with ferns and trees as Wham!’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go starts playing over the video.
Cut to the next scene, and the family is sitting in a rowboat in a mirror-like lake, with Harry fixing up a hook on a fishing rod, while Pula plays on the banks.
Archie is heard saying, ‘I got this’ in a distinctly American accent as fish writhe around in the lake waters.
The video – posted on Meghan’s Instagram account – has a Union Flag and red heart emoji side by side throughout, in place of a post caption.
Currently, they are living in their new home in the Cotswolds, but will keep their mansion in Montecito, California. They also own a holiday home in Portugal.
The couple has recently said they are ‘happy to be back’ in the UK, and the children have started at school already.
This is in spite of their swirling row with Buckingham Palace over Uganda’s withdrawal from Prince Harry’s Invictus Games – a sporting event founded by the Duke for wounded military veterans.
Insiders close to the couple said Uganda’s exit was a ‘direct result’ of a letter written by King Charles, which insisted they are ‘private citizens’, not working royals.
Charles’s letter – sent to senior government officials, military leaders, Lord Lieutenants, and the couple’s team – made it clear that while the family was back in the country, they were not back in the Firm.
After the King’s announcement, Uganda’s chief of defence and son of the president, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, appeared to want to distance himself from Harry’s project.
He said on X earlier this week: ‘In order not to be construed as being opposed to His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom, whom we deeply revere, Uganda hereby withdraws from the Invictus Games.’
The general’s withdrawal was linked to the King’s letter when he spoke disparagingly about this ‘Harry-Meghan nonsense’, suggesting this was the background to the decision.
The Sussexes said they were ‘surprised’ to have received the letter following rumours they might have had a ‘half in, half out’ arrangement on their return. But the letter appears to have put an end to all hope of this idea.
Insiders close to the couple said that the ‘only people suffering’ as a result of the monarch’s letter are the Ugandan competitors who were set to take part in the upcoming games.
‘They made it very clear that the reason they pulled out was a direct result of perceived guidance from the Lord Chamberlain,’ they told People, which is widely considered the Sussexes’ preferred publication in the US.
Meghan and Harry had left the UK six years ago to enjoy personal and financial freedom in the US but moved back just over a fortnight ago.
A bitter argument has existed between the breakaway family and the Royals back home since they left, after it was decided that they would not be allowed to have taxpayer-funded police security when visiting the UK, as they were no longer working royals.
The Duke of Sussex has reportedly ‘privately pleaded’ with Shabana Mahmood for a decision on whether or not he is getting funding for security for his family.
Prince Harry said last year in a BBC interview that he was ready to ‘reconcile’ with his family and that the issue of police protection was the last remaining ‘sticking point’ in the feud.
Princess Lilibet, 5, is seen warming her little bare feet next to the fire, humming contentedly
Prince Archie, 7, splashes into the scene, stomping his wellies in a muddy puddle
Meanwhile, Labrador Pula is seen trekking through a dappled wooded path
Splashing fish beneath the royal rods as Archie commentates, determined to reel them in
However, Harry and Meghan’s autumn diary still appears to be heavily laden with public engagements in the midst of the ongoing disagreements.
Harry is due to have a pseudo-royal appearance at the inaugural ‘Invictus Spirit’ Awards on Thursday, September 17.
There is even chatter that the duchess could join him at this glitzy event.
This public appearance has already caused a major clash in the royal calendar with William and Catherine’s ‘royal away-day’ visit to the Isle of Bute on the same day, announced on Friday.
Once there, the Prince and Princess of Wales are due to visit Rothesay, the town that inspired the name of the titles they hold in Scotland – that of Duke and Duchess of Rothesay – where they will spend time with locals at the Anchor Tavern.
The King has a major public engagement at the same time, as it was announced that he would attend a meeting with global AI chiefs in hopes that it could be developed for ‘the good of humanity’.
Other engagements for Harry this month include the launch of the Invictus education programme INSPIRE.
Afterwards, there’s the WellChild Awards in London on September 21, a charity for ill children and their families, which the prince has been involved with since his earliest days as a working royal.
Meanwhile, Meghan has been mulling over a ‘return to charity work’ once Archie and Lilibet settle into their new life.
A source close to the Duchess said ‘she wants to pick up with a lot of people’ now that she is back.
It is understood to include Smart Works, a charity supporting unemployed, vulnerable women looking for jobs, which Meghan is wishing to rekindle public support for.
She held four patronages after she wed Harry in 2018, but Smart Works was the only one she continued to support after she stopped working as a royal.
‘She is thinking about plans for how she can get more involved and support the causes she was supporting and was passionate about again, and new causes too,’ the source previously told The Sunday Times.
There have also been rumours that she would return to acting after Guy Ritchie was believed to have offered her a role in his hit TV show The Gentlemen, which was quickly revoked following massive backlash against the decision.
