Prince Harry Opened Up About Archie's "Cheekiness" on 'Today'
In the nearly three years since Archie Harrison was born, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have both spoken openly about their love for their son, and how fast he's growing up. Here are all the sweet things the Duke and Duchess of Susssex have said about their first child so far:
On Witnessing Archie's Birth:
"It’s been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined," Harry told the press in 2019, shortly after Archie's birth. "How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension, but we’re both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all the love and support from everybody out there. It’s been amazing."
He added, "I haven’t been in many births. This is definitely my first birth. But it was amazing. Absolutely incredible. I’m so incredibly proud of my wife. As every father and parent would ever say, your baby is absolutely amazing. But this little thing is absolutely to die for. So I’m just over the moon."
On Parenthood:
"It’s magic," Meghan said during a photocall at Windsor in 2019, when the couple introduced baby Archie to the public. "It’s pretty amazing. And here I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy."
Harry echoes her sentiments at the time, saying, "Parenting is amazing. It’s only been what, two and a half days, three days? But we’re just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy to spend some precious times with him as he slowly starts to grow up."
In 2022, at the Invictus Games at the Hague, Harry opened up to Today, saying that the thing he loves most about fatherhood is, "All of it. The chaos, the learning, the reminder of just every element of yourself, your soul." He added, "I love it. I love every part of it. I’ve always wanted to be a dad. I’ve always wanted to have my own kids, and now I got two little people who I’m responsible for."
On Archie's Personality:
From the beginning, it seems, Archie has been a charmer. "He has the sweetest temperament," Meghan told reporters shortly after Archie's birth. "He’s really calm, and—he’s been, just been a dream, so it’s been a special couple days."
It was a sentiment that Harry shared with Invictus Games competitor Dennis van der Stroon shortly thereafter when he visited the Netherlands in anticipation of the Invictus Games at the Hague (the event was ultimately delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic). “Above all he said he was just amazed by the miracles in the world, and how his child has made a lot of people happy," van der Stroon said. "He told me he’s really happy that his son is so far very quiet..."
During his bike ride today, Harry told NL competitor Dennis van der Stroon how having a small child was his new focus and new goal..” #ArchieHarrisonMountbattenWindsor
— Emily Nash (@emynash) May 9, 2019
Since then, though, it would appear that Archie has developed some of his dad's trademark playfulness. When asked by Hoda Kotb on Today in 2022 about whether two year old Archie had inherited any of his cheekiness, Harry responded, "Yeah, and I think so. I always try and keep that. I think that, the cheekiness is something that keeps you alive."
That personality comes with a few pitfalls too, Harry admitted in the interview, speaking about trying to work from home. "It’s really hard when your kids and you are in the same place. It’s really hard to separate the work from them. Because they kind of overlap. I mean, Archie spends more time interrupting our Zoom calls than anybody else."
He also told Kotb that "Archie, at the age he’s at, is asking all the questions. Questions of the why, he’s into the why thing. 'Why this? Why that?' And instead of trying to just move it on, I give him the honest answer that I can," the prince explained. "And then he goes, on, and on, and on until he’s satisfied. And then that’s it, it’s done. Otherwise it ends up with: 'Because the world is round and that’s the way it goes.'"
On how much they love Archie:
At the Oxford Children’s Hospital in 2019, Prince Harry told Amy Scullard, whose son is in remission from cancer that he "can't imagine life" without Archie: "He said he’s getting used to the baby and how Archie has fitted into family life," Scullard said. "He said he just feels part of the family and he can’t imagine life without his son."
During the Royal Tour of Southern Africa:
In 2019, Archie traveled to South Africa with Harry and Meghan, giving fans their first big glimpse of the baby, who, at just 4-and-a-half-month-old, had a meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. His proud parents also sharing stories about him with well-wishers during the trip. Here are a few highlights:
Harry revealed that as they flew in, Archie was admiring the local landmarks. "He was staring out the window as we flew in... looking at Table Mountain." Harry also reportedly said that his son is "not grouchy, just exhausted" after the flight, and shared that Archie "slept on Meghan’s chest most of the time [during the flight]."
During their meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Meghan shared that her son is an "old soul." Harry also shared that Archie is "constantly wanting to stand" and said, "I think he knows exactly what's going on."
On teaching Archie about his grandmother, Princess Diana:
Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, passed away long before Archie was born, but Harry and Meghan are still keeping her presence in his life. In 2021, Harry revealed in his AppleTV+ mental health docuseries The Me You Can't See, that one of Archie's first words was "grandma" in reference to Diana.
"I got a photo of her in his nursery, and it was one of the first words that he said—apart from 'mama,' 'papa,' it was then 'grandma'. Grandma Diana," Harry said. "It's the sweetest thing, but at the same time, it makes me really sad because she should be here."
In 2022, he explained to Hoda Kotb that, "I don’t tell him all the stuff that happened but certainly that this is grandma Diana and we’ve got a couple photos up in the house." He added that, for him, her presence had been "constant. It has been over the last two years. More so than ever before."
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