The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met their nephew Archie Harrison one week after his birth in May 2019, when they paid a visit to Windsor late one afternoon where the Sussexes were based at the time. Prince William and Kate waited a little time before stopping by Prince Harry and Meghan's home to give the new mum and dad time to settle into life as new parents. And while the public was desperate to hear that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis had also been introduced to their tiny cousin during the visit to Frogmore Cottage, it later became clear that they had not - and didn't actually meet their cousin until a couple of months later.
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The question of why the children had not yet met their cousin trended all over social media. The reason? Kate had travelled to Windsor from her engagement at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, while William was coming from a United for Wildlife meeting in London. Harry had spent the day in Oxford carrying out engagements including a visit to a children's hospital, before he went home to welcome his brother and sister-in-law alongside wife Meghan.
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Given the timings of the day, it would have been far too late for George, then five, Charlotte, then four, and baby Louis, then one, to travel up from London. The one-hour journey back and forth from Kensington Palace would have meant the children would have missed their bedtime, not to mention staying up late on a school night for George and Charlotte. The parents-of-three will have also been able to share tips and swap anecdotes with new parents Harry and Meghan without any distractions.
George, Meghan and Archie at the polo in 2019
The Cambridge children did get to meet Archie properly a couple of months later when Meghan took him to a polo match to watch dad Harry play. HELLO! in fact learned that George had already met his cousin by this point - but the details of that meeting were never disclosed. It's not unusual for royal children to meet their relatives a litle late. Back in 2014, George wasn't introduced to his cousin Mia, the daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, until she was two months old.
Speaking to the Mirror, retired rugby star Mike described the meeting at Highgrove as "carnage", saying: "I don't think Mia will remember that day, she was two months old, but it was great, it was carnage. George was eating at the time. He'd got to that stage where more food goes on the table than in his mouth. Mia was just chilling and sleeping, she sleeps a lot, she's quite relaxed."
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As well as William and Kate, Harry and Meghan received a whole host of visitors including the Queen and Prince Philip in the first week of Archie's birth. They were the first members of the royal family to meet Archie. Princess Diana's sister Lady Jane Fellowes was also one of the first to visit very early on.
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