Meghan Markle has shared a rare new photo of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet — but the seemingly innocent family moment has unexpectedly sparked debate among royal watchers.
Earlier this summer, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took their children to Disneyland to celebrate Lilibet’s fourth birthday on June 4. Markle later shared photos from the trip on Instagram, including a sweet shot of six-year-old Archie and four-year-old Lilibet standing together as they admired a birthday cake. Other images showed the children smelling roses in a garden.
Although their faces were turned away, one detail immediately caught attention — their matching auburn hair. “Thank you @disneyland for giving our family two days of pure joy!” Meghan wrote in the caption. Clips from the post showed the family meeting Elsa from Frozen and enjoying the park’s attractions together.
Prince Harry has previously joked about his children inheriting his famous red hair, telling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2023: “The Spencer gene is very, very strong. I really thought there was no way the ginger gene would stand up to my wife’s — but I was wrong! Go gingers.”
Interestingly, Meghan’s family also carries the red-hair gene. Her half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. had bright copper hair in his youth, while her uncle Fred Markle also has the distinctive auburn shade. The MC1R gene responsible for red hair is recessive, meaning both parents must carry it for their children to display the trait.
The new photos quickly spread across social media, where royal fans shared mixed reactions. Many praised the children’s resemblance to their father, while others debated the exact shade of their hair. “Lili’s hair is something else,” one X user commented, while another said, “Archie’s hair looks dark red.”
Some observers noted subtle variations between the siblings’ tones. “I think Lili is a strawberry blonde right now,” one fan wrote. “You can tell they’re close — it’s such a lovely photo.” Another added, “Archie’s hair is more auburn or copper, while Lilibet’s looks lighter.”
However, not everyone was convinced. A number of skeptics suggested that the image may have been digitally altered to make the children’s hair appear redder than in previous photos. “I think the photo has been filtered,” one critic commented. “It doesn’t match other pictures — she really wants to portray them as royal children, red-haired like daddy.”
That remark drew over 80 likes and several agreeing responses. Another commenter questioned the inconsistencies: “Redheads in my family were born that way and stayed that way. Even with different lighting, the Montecito kids’ hair seems to change color too often.”
Others accused Meghan of deliberately emphasizing her children’s connection to their royal heritage. One harsh critic wrote: “This is all about Meghan. She doesn’t care about her kids — she uses them for attention. It’s disgusting.”
Whether filtered or not, the photo once again placed the Sussex family squarely in the public spotlight — a reminder of how even a simple birthday post can ignite fresh debate about one of the world’s most watched families.
