The exclusive photos reveal how Prince Harry, Meghan, and the children spent July 4th, immersing themselves in an American-style celebration. They attended an Independence Day Parade near their home in Montecito, California.
An eyewitness, who captured a photo, mentioned that Meghan was also present at the event, along with their son Archie.
In the images obtained by the source, Harry sported jeans and a green crew shirt paired with a baseball cap, while little Lily looked adorable in a blue and white floral dress, complemented by white knit stockings and red shoes.
There's another photo, albeit quite blurry, showing the entire family standing beside a red parade car. Interestingly, Harry and Meghan maintained distance between them in all the taken photos, which is unusual. It almost felt like they were obliged to appear together but harbored some anger towards each other.
The situation becomes even more perplexing with a subsequent photo that shows Harry carrying Lily and swiftly maneuvering through the crowd, leaving Meghan and Archie behind. It seems as though the paparazzi's presence triggered Harry's silent protest. His piercing gaze directed at the photographer, coupled with a frown, conveys his frustration.
During an ITV interview, the Duke of Sussex expressed his desire to shield his children from the media's invasive reach. He stated that he wants Archie and Lily to have a normal and fulfilling childhood, far away from exploitative and toxic media. His intentions to protect them might explain his evident anger when encountering the paparazzi. However, it appears that he is also deeply annoyed with his wife.
These photos were reportedly taken by Backgrid, an agency rumored to be hired by Meghan to capture staged shots, such as the couple's recent visits to a Montecito restaurant or a sushi bar. It seems the children have become Meghan's last resort to salvage her image, especially since her business deals have fallen through.
Notably, this might be Lily's first public appearance after those setbacks. Moreover, releasing the photos more than a day later aligns with Meghan's intention to divert attention from King Charles's coronation in Scotland.
Since stepping back as senior royals, the couple moved into their impressive $14 million Montecito home in 2020. The vast estate spans 18,000 square feet, housing nine bedrooms, sixteen bathrooms, and even an outdoor chicken coop filled with rescued birds.
The property boasts a five-acre landscape, featuring a rose garden, century-old olive trees, an outdoor pizza oven, a pool, a playground, a vegetable garden, a tennis court, a two-bedroom guest house, a tea house, and a children's house.
They are also conveniently situated near celebrity friends like Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey, with whom Meghan conducted a revealing interview in March 2021. Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, resides around two hours away in Los Angeles.
The couple's choice to celebrate July 4th in California resulted in their absence from their friend Jackman's wedding to osteopath Isabella Clark in Suffolk over the weekend. It was reported that Jackman was Harry's unofficial best man during his own wedding to Meghan in May 2018.
