Meghan Markle Reveals Prince Archie Has One Thing in Common With Queen Elizabeth

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royals shortly after the birth of their son, Archie. Though the young Prince only met his great-grandmother as an infant, he shares a heartwarming hobby with the late Queen. In a Q&A for Netflix, Markle revealed that Archie has developed a love for photography—a passion Queen Elizabeth deeply cherished throughout her life.

Queen Elizabeth II is introduced to her new great-grandchild, as she visits Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's baby boy – Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor – with Prince Philip and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland. https://t.co/BGUC54NdBA pic.twitter.com/BIXmg2Xgxu

— ABC News (@ABC) May 8, 2019

As reported by The Mirror, Markle spilled, “Misan was showing him how to do photography the last time he was with us.” Her close friend and director, Missan Harriman, has taken numerous photos of the Duke and Duchess with their children. She explained how she had bought a camera for Archie, but he was disappointed that it wasn't 'a Leica like Misan.' Markle joked, “I said, 'You are not getting a Leica! Not even for Christmas.”

While Archie won’t be getting a pricey Leica camera anytime soon, his great-grandmother proudly captured moments with her own Leica M3. Known for her love of horses and corgis, she was often seen photographing horse shows while Prince Philip competed. Her passion for photography began when her father, King George VI, gifted her a Box Brownie camera before World War II. From then on, she remained an amateur yet dedicated photographer. A royal source spoke to The Sun and shared, “Her monogrammed leather navy albums of the pictures she has taken of her travels and her family and pets travel with her wherever she goes. They are packed up by her senior page, Paul Whybrew, and taken to all her homes, even to Balmoral, where she goes over summer. ”

Queen Elizabeth with different film cameras pic.twitter.com/fCgIU0ANAS

— Isabelle Baldwin ?? (@BelleNoelPhoto) December 1, 2021

The Queen, however, does not bring her albums while travelling abroad on royal duty. An insider revealed, “The only time when they are not accessible to her is when she goes on a State visit to a foreign country.” Despite being one of the most photographed women on Earth, she began traveling with her own gold Rollei camera to capture moments. By the early 2000s, the Canon Sure Shot Tele 80 film camera appeared to be her camera of choice. According to the Daily Express, the monarch famously filmed part of her coronation world tour in 1953.

The queen, a lover of German cameras, Leica's and Rollei's pic.twitter.com/gI5fUZXtce

— _scottmcginn_ (@_scottmcginn_) June 3, 2022

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Archie aren’t the only ones who love photography. Kate Middleton is an avid photographer as well. She enjoys capturing moments during her travels with her Leica camera, and some of her photos of her children have been published by Kensington Palace to mark their birthdays. The Princess of Wales has even been honored by the Royal Photographic Society for her baby portraits. She credits her love for photography to her paternal grandfather, Peter Middleton.