OPINION

Archie and Lilibet pictured at Disneyland with Harry and Meghan (Image: Instagram/@meghan)

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were the stars of the show in Meghan Markle’s latest Instagram post – with the former actress sharing various clips and pictures from their two-day visit to Disneyland. The Sussex family’s trip marked Lilibet’s fourth birthday, which took place on June 4.

Despite having used her Instagram platform, which she returned to in January, to share more pictures of their children, Meghan has made sure to adhere to her and Prince Harry’s wish to protect Archie and Lilibet’s privacy. Meghan, 43, has done so by sharing only pictures of the back of their heads—carefully taking the snaps so that their faces could remain concealed. When the Duchess of Sussex did publish pictures showing her children’s faces in the past, the snaps were always several months old, with Archie and Lilibet looking different from how they are now. Whilst some fans appear delighted by Meghan’s decision to protect their privacy, other social media users were confused as to why she continues to publish pictures of her son and daughter at all.

As well as taking pictures from the back, Meghan has also now taken to a new tactic – using emojis to cover their faces. This has commonly been used by many people in the public eye and not – who want to share pictures of their children whilst being cautious to protect their identity.

After years of reporting on the Royal Family and writing about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s privacy and security fears, I believe this tactic may be sending a message to the public.

By covering her children’s faces, Meghan, I think, may be letting fans know that she will never show the world Archie and Lilibet’s features – or, at least, until they are older to consent her doing so.

One of the pictures published recently by Meghan showed six-year-old Archie – covered by a red heart emoji – and Lilibet – covered by a pink heart emoji – photographed with Harry and Meghan, who was sporting Mickey Mouse ears.

A second picture showed the birthday girl, whose face was covered by a pink heart, and Harry riding a rollercoaster at the park.

The young royals are also seen occasionally sporting hats – seemingly another way to conceal their identities when out in public.

Meghan’s caption from the post now reads, “Thank you @disneyland for giving our family two days of pure joy!”