Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s social circle — who will Archie grow up with?
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s baby Archie will be part of an elite group of royal and celebrity children who are born into the spotlight. This is who he’ll grow up with.
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When it comes to high society, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s baby has been born into the spotlight … and with an elite group of playmates.
From an early age, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor will be rubbing shoulders with children born into royalty and Hollywood, with some of the most recognisable surnames in the world.
From the Clooney twins to Olympia Ohanian — the one-year-old daughter of Serena Williams and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian — Harry and Meghan’s newborn will be in well-connected company right from day one.
Not on the list are any of Meghan Markle’s relatives as she is estranged from her extended family.
These are some of the famous and royal kids baby Sussex will grow up with.
ROYAL COUSINS
Of course, Meghan and Harry’s baby will be born into the royal family, with a string of first and second cousins.
The much-rumoured rift between Meghan and Harry, and Prince William and Kate Middleton, could put a strain on how much time baby Sussex spends with first cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Already, Meghan and Harry moved out of Kensington Palace — where Wills and Kate are based — to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, so the families don’t exactly live close.
However, baby Sussex and the Cambridge children will be raised attending royal engagements and special occasions together, as they share grandfather Prince Charles, great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth and great-grandfather Prince Philip.
Interactions between Harry and William were described as “tense” and “strained” over Easter, where the brothers hardly interacted during a public appearance.
And there have been persistent rumours that Meghan and Kate just don’t get along (it stemmed from a report that Meghan reportedly made Kate cry at a fitting for Princess Charlotte’s flower girl dress in the lead up to the royal wedding).
Despite the royal drama, the cousins will all be bound by blood … but how much time will baby Sussex really spend with George, Charlotte and Louis outside royal family obligations? Time will certainly tell.
SECOND COUSINS
Other kids who baby Sussex will grow up with in the royal fold will include second cousins Savannah, 9, and Isla Phillips, 7 — the blonde-haired daughters of Harry’s cousin, Peter Phillips (Princess Anne’s son), and his wife Autumn.
Even at a young age, Savannah has courted attention.
She’s Prince George’s cheeky BFF, once pushing the third-in-line to the throne down a hill and covering his mouth on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during the 2018 Trooping the Colour.
Savannah was also seen with her shoe on Princess Eugenie’s wedding dress in official royal photographs.
Baby Sussex will also grow up with second cousins Mia Grace Tindall, 5, and Lena Elizabeth Tindall, 10 months, the daughters of Zara Tindall (Harry’s cousin) and former rugby union star Mike Tindall.
OLYMPIA OHANIAN
Meghan Markle counts tennis champion Serena Williams among her inner social circle after meeting at the Super Bowl in 2010.
Williams even helped plan Meghan’s lavish New York baby shower in February.
“Planning something like that takes a lot of effort,” Williams, 37, told Business of Fashion.
“I’m a perfectionist, so I’m like, ‘Let’s make it perfect.’”
“It’s been a lot the last few days,” Williams added, speaking to the fashion industry publication days after the shower.
The close relationship between Meghan and Serena means the royal bub is likely to have a playmate in Olympia Ohanian, Williams’ one-year-old daughter to her Reddit co-founder husband, Alexis Ohanian.
Olympia already boasts 570,000-plus followers on her adorable Instagram account (which is run by Williams and Ohanian), and a designer-studded wardrobe which includes a $US258 baby Burberry dress.
Of course, Williams and Ohanian — who are based in the celebrity enclave of Beverly Hills — were among the guests at Meghan and Harry’s wedding in May last year.
And Williams has occasionally spoken about their close friendship in the press, giving a respectful insight into the Duchess’ royal life.
“I’m like, ‘How are you?’ and she (Meghan) is like, ‘No, how are you?’ and I’m like, ‘You’re so sweet, but I’m really asking — how are YOU?’” Williams said, according to People.
“I’m like, ‘Meghan, stop being so nice … you’re the pregnant one, aren’t you supposed to have hormones, why are you so sweet?’ But that’s always been her.”
CLOONEY TWINS
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex count George Clooney — whose net worth is $US500 million — and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, among their well-connected friends.
So the royal baby can expect to have play dates with Clooney twins Alexander and Ella, one.
The close friendship between George and Amal, and Harry and Meghan, led the Hollywood couple to rub shoulders with the royals at their wedding in May.
The Clooneys are intensely private and keep their twins mostly out of the public eye (they don’t have social media), with the family based in a £10 million estate in Sonning-on-Thames, Berkshire.
On occasion, George has opened up about family life in interviews, telling Entertainment Tonight Alexander and Ella slept through their first birthday party.
“They’re kind of on Europe time, so they were sleeping during most of the day,” George told the US entertainment TV show. “So we had a cake waiting, and we’d wake them up and show it to them and then they’d go back to sleep.”
Despite their shared social connections (including mutual friend Williams), the Clooneys and Sussexes have similar humanitarian interests.
Originally published as Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s social circle — who will Archie grow up with?
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