When Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, moved over to California all those years ago, we wondered how the royal couple would get on without the comforts of their lives in Britain. By which we mean, of course, decent cups of tea, full English fry-ups, and fish and chips.
Meghan gave us all some glimpses of how her and Harry's tastes had adapted to the US in With Love, Meghan, showcasing elaborate home-made treats Meghan crafted in the kitchen for guests and the couple's two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. We learned the family had their own chicken coop, grew fresh herbs and vegetables, and were fond of fruit preserves.
Then, earlier this month, we discovered the whole family would be making a return to the UK. Considering both Archie, now 7, and Lilibet, 5, had spent the majority of their upbringing thus far in the States, we imagined Prince Harry would waste no time in introducing them to all the British treats he loved. And as it turns out, we were entirely correct.
Speaking to Hello! at the WellChild Awards in London, Prince Harry confirmed that he, Meghan and the children have speedily got stuck into British life. They've gone on 'lots of walks' – which Harry described as 'the most British thing' – and the kids are fans of a very British snack. That snack? Marmite on crumpets. But it took crossing the pond for Archie and Lilibet to finally appreciate this classic combo.
'Please tell me that is a British thing, because it has always been in my life,' shared Harry. 'Now the kids are eating Marmite on crumpets, which is a big moment for me. They used to diss me for having Marmite in the house but now we are in the UK that is kind of water under the bridge.'
Asked directly if his children like Marmite on crumpets (rather than simply having to eat the dish under their father's urging), Prince Harry confirmed: 'They do. They do very much.'
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Well, good on them for having great taste.
There is one Britishism that the children are not yet on board with, however. 'I already tried beans on toast in California,' shared Harry. 'That was years ago. It didn't go down very well at all.'
Perhaps they'll come around to a tin of Heinz now they're on British soil. If not, no worries – there are plenty of other UK delights the royal can introduce the kids to. If he and Meghan are taking suggestions, might we recommend Colin the Caterpillar next? Or a Jaffa Cake? And just wait until they have their first Sunday roast.
Prince Harry was in London solo last night to attend the WellChild Awards, which celebrate UK's seriously ill children and young people as well as the people who support them. The royal has been a patron of the charity since 2007, and last night was able to meet a number of award recipients. He was seen chatting with children and even signing a Funko Pop version of himself, which he described as looking like Stewie Griffin from Family Guy.
The royal became visibly emotional when delivering a speech that called the award winners 'a shining light for us all'. He lightly told off Gaby Roslin – who was also by the Prince's side when he became teary-eyed during a speech at the same event back in 2019 – for giving his arm a reassuring cuddle, telling her: 'That doesn't help, that makes it worse!'
While Meghan, Archie and Lilibet were not in attendance, they were clearly on Harry's mind throughout the ceremony. He told Hello!: 'Once you become a parent, it does change everything. It’s not the fact that for all the years that I wasn’t a parent that meeting the kids didn’t matter as much, but you suddenly realise how grateful you are to have kids that aren’t sick.'
We were treated to a brief glimpse at the family's life in the UK as Harry shared that, like the rest of us, Archie and Lilibet experienced some 'Monday blues'. He revealed: 'At breakfast this morning, they had a bit of Monday morning blues. I decided, "You know what? You're being a little bit tricky, so I'm going to tell you exactly what I'm doing tonight." And they were genuinely fascinated and asking all sorts of questions.'
We also found out Lilibet's (current) favourite colour. When Prince Harry met Margot, the winner of the Inspirational Child Award for children aged 4-6, he quickly compared her sparkly dress to his daughter's love of all things glittery. 'You obviously love sparkles,' Harry told Margot. 'My little girl loves sparkles and she loves pink. That's her favourite colour.'
