Prince William ‘Does Not Know’ Archie and Lilibet as Sussex Children Begin New Life in Britain

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet may now be living in the UK, but their return has highlighted a painful reality at the heart of the Royal Family.

Despite being Prince William’s niece and nephew, the two children are thought to have spent very little time with him or with their royal cousins.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to Britain with Archie and Lilibet last week, although the exact location of their new home has not been made public.

King Charles and William were reportedly informed of the Sussexes’ decision only days before it became public.

The King is said to welcome the possibility of spending more time with Harry and his grandchildren.

William’s position appears far more complicated.

‘He does not know them’

Speaking to the Daily Express, US-based royal expert Marlene Koenig summed up William’s relationship with Archie and Lilibet in five stark words.

“He does not know them.”

Koenig said it is difficult to judge how William might feel now that the children are living in Britain because so little opportunity has existed for a genuine relationship to develop.

William and Catherine attended Archie’s baptism, but the Sussexes moved away from royal life not long afterwards.

Within months, Harry and Meghan were establishing a new life in North America.

That physical distance, combined with the growing rift between Harry and William, left very little chance for William to become a regular presence in Archie’s childhood.

Catherine once admitted she had not met Lilibet

The distance became even clearer after Lilibet was born in California in 2021.

Catherine was publicly asked about her new niece and acknowledged that they had not yet met.

“We haven’t met her yet,” she said at the time. “I hope that will be soon.”

Whether William and Catherine have since spent meaningful time with Lilibet has never been publicly established.

Koenig argued that the circumstances surrounding Harry and Meghan’s departure made it extremely difficult for William to form the type of uncle-and-niece or uncle-and-nephew relationship that might otherwise have developed naturally.

Archie once appeared alongside the Wales children

There was a time when the next generation of royals appeared to be beginning their childhoods together.

Archie was photographed at the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day in 2019, only weeks after his birth.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were also present.

The appearance offered a rare glimpse of the young cousins in the same setting before the Sussexes’ departure changed the family dynamic dramatically.

George is now 13, Charlotte 11 and Louis eight.

It remains unclear when they last saw Archie, now seven.

There is also no public confirmation that the Wales children have ever met five-year-old Lilibet.

The brothers’ rift makes any reunion more difficult

The children’s limited relationship cannot be separated from the breakdown between Harry and William.

The brothers are reportedly not on speaking terms, with their relationship described as being at one of its lowest points.

Years of public disagreement following Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal duties have made family contact increasingly difficult.

Harry’s interviews, the Sussexes’ Netflix series and his memoir Spare all contained personal revelations about his relationship with William and other members of the Royal Family.

As that conflict deepened, the younger generation inevitably had fewer opportunities to spend time together.

Archie and Lilibet grew up thousands of miles away in California while George, Charlotte and Louis remained at the centre of royal life in Britain.

Their return could change the family dynamic

The Sussex children’s move to the UK now creates a situation that did not previously exist.

For the first time in years, Archie and Lilibet are geographically much closer to their grandfather, uncle, aunt and cousins.

King Charles is reportedly enthusiastic about having greater access to his grandchildren.

Whether the same will happen with William remains uncertain.

A reunion between the children would not necessarily require Harry and William to resolve every aspect of their own dispute, but the state of the brothers’ relationship remains an obvious obstacle.

There has been no indication that William has arranged to meet Archie or Lilibet since their return.

A generation of royal cousins who barely know one another

The contrast is striking.

George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet belong to the same generation of one of the world’s most recognisable families.

Yet their childhoods have unfolded largely apart.

The Wales children have grown up in Britain surrounded by royal traditions and responsibilities.

Archie and Lilibet, meanwhile, spent most of their early years in California, far from the daily life of the monarchy.

Now that distance has suddenly narrowed.

Whether the emotional distance will narrow with it is another matter entirely.

For William, the Sussexes’ return does not simply mean his estranged brother is back in Britain.

It also means two children he reportedly barely knows are now living much closer than before.

And that could eventually force one of the Royal Family’s most painful questions back into focus: whether the next generation will be allowed to build the relationships their parents could not preserve.