Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: A Year Without Archie

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been residing in North America since early 2020, and they recently purchased a home in Los Angeles which boasts a swimming pool, tennis court, and children's cottage.

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the couple and their son Archie have not returned to the UK, and have spent their lockdown period in the States.

The pandemic has meant that families all over the world have been unable to spend time with their loved ones, including the royal family.

Archie is currently 18 months old and has spent most of his important development stages in America surrounded by his parents.

The couple relocated to Canada last November for a six-week break from the UK and then moved to the USA.

Last year, Harry and Meghan spent Christmas with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, and since then, they have only returned to the UK twice for royal duties and visits, without bringing Archie with them.

This has meant that the Queen, who is Archie's great-grandmother, and Prince Charles, who is Archie's grandfather, have not seen the young royal in almost a year.

Harry and Meghan will not be returning to the UK for Christmas either, and they have missed out on other royal occasions such as Princess Beatrice's wedding and the Queen's birthday celebrations and parade.

However, they have not completely ruled out any traveling plans for the festive season.

The Queen expressed her own and her husband's sadness for not seeing great-grandson Archie for over a year.

Similarly, Prince Charles has said that he is sad that he hasn't seen his grandson in such a long time and has missed so much of the young royal's development.

A royal friend has let the press know that Prince Charles misses visiting his grandson very often in Frogmore Cottage, which was the couple's previous residence on the Queen's Windsor estate, especially as he has not seen him in so long.

However, the power of the internet during the coronavirus lockdown has been amazing for the family, as they have been using Zoom to talk.

Prince Charles was reportedly delighted when Archie called him “Pa” over video call in September.

Harry and Meghan are keeping in touch with the royals in Britain over video call, so that Archie is still able to spend time with his family virtually.

Prince Harry has previously said he was excited to raise his family with his brother's family, the Duke of Cambridge, yet this has not been possible as Prince Harry has relocated his family to America.

It is clear that the pandemic has disrupted many families' lives, including the royal family.

Archie's development is important, and it is unfortunate that he has not been able to spend time with his extended family due to the pandemic.