George, Charlotte, and Louis "Know Very Little About Their Cousins," Archie and Lilibet

"They will start asking their parents why they are estranged from the royal family."

Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte waving.
(Image credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

As the children of the heir to the throne, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have lived their lives in the spotlight. Despite appearing to be close to many members of the royal family, Princess Kate and Prince William's children apparently haven't had the chance to bond with Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry's kids.

A new report in The Sun's Fabulous magazine suggests that George, Charlotte, and Louis simply haven't had the opportunity to get to know their cousins, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. As Archie and Lilibet live in California with their parents, Meghan and Harry, there have been few opportunities for the children to bond. "It’s so sad that the Wales’ kids basically know very little about their cousins across the pond and are never likely to be close to them," royal author Phil Dampier alleged to Fabulous. "It’s not thought that George Charlotte and Louis have ever met Archie and Lilibet."

Since stepping down from their roles as senior royals, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have become somewhat estranged from the rest of the royal family. As a result, Kate and William's kids allegedly didn't attend an event taking place in Windsor, where they could have spent time with their young cousins. "Although they were invited to Lilibet’s first birthday party at Frogmore Cottage, they did not go," Dampier alleged.

Prince William and Princess Kate's children reportedly haven't spent any time with their cousins, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie.

Prince William and Princess Kate's children reportedly haven't spent any time with their cousins, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie.

(Image credit: Getty)

The publication also suggested that George, Charlotte, and Louis had formed close bonds with Zara and Mike Tindall's children, Mia, Lena, and Lucas. "In many ways the children of Zara and Mike Tindall have replaced Archie and Lilibet as the closest cousins of George, Charlotte, and Louis," Dampier explained.

The royal expert also alleged that Kate and William's kids really enjoy spending time with the Tindall family, as "when they see each other the fun is infectious." He continued, "At Christmas at Sandringham, at events like Trooping the Colour, state occasions or holidays at Balmoral, the cousins play together and get on well."

Dampier further mused, "It’s something Archie and Lilibet are missing out on and you just wonder if in years to come, when they grow up, they will start asking their parents why they are estranged from the royal family." Sadly, it seems unlikely the situation will resolve itself anytime soon. For instance, Prince Harry recently revealed he believes it's too "dangerous" for Meghan to return to the U.K. without adequate security. It seems likely that he plans to protect his children from any potential danger they may encounter, which may preclude any visits to Buckingham Palace.

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.