Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet may be growing up thousands of miles away from the U.K., but one distinctly British part of their father appears to have followed them home to California.
Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s recent family visit to Britain, which included a long-awaited reunion between their children and King Charles, an adorable detail Meghan previously shared about Archie and Lilibet has taken on new meaning.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are raising Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, in Montecito, California, and the children naturally have American accents. However, Meghan has revealed that every now and then, Harry’s British pronunciation unexpectedly comes through.
During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in March 2025, Meghan was asked what she sees in her children that immediately reminds her of their father. “Oh, some of the words that they still say with a British accent,” she revealed.
© Meghan Markle/IGThe Duchess offered one particularly adorable example: “Zebra.” “They have these little moments where it comes out,” Meghan explained. “They have very American accents, but they say words that are just like him, and I think it’s adorable. Zebra is a good one.”
Instead of the American pronunciation “zee-bra,” Archie and Lilibet sometimes use the British “zeh-bra,” just like their dad.
Harry’s influence at home:
Meghan later revisited the subject during the second season of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, revealing that the British influence isn’t limited to pronunciation.
© MeghanMarkle/Instagram“My kids, they’ll say a little bit of both, but never cooking terms,” she joked, adding, “because I guess Papa’s not cooking as much.”
It’s a small detail, but one that highlights the combination of British and American influences surrounding Archie and Lilibet as they grow up in California.
© Meghan Markle/IGArchie was born in London in May 2019, less than a year before Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as senior working members of the royal family and eventually settled in California. Lilibet, meanwhile, was born in Santa Barbara in June 2021.
Despite being raised in the United States, both children remain closely connected to Harry’s British heritage. They are Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex and hold places in the line of succession to the British throne.
© @meghanA meaningful return to Harry’s home:
Those connections were brought into focus again this summer when Harry and Meghan traveled to the U.K. with Archie and Lilibet.
The family reportedly met King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove, marking a significant reunion after years in which the King’s opportunities to see his California-based grandchildren had been limited.
© John PhillipsThe Sussexes also visited Althorp, the childhood home of Princess Diana and the estate where the late Princess of Wales is buried.
The private visit represented a notable moment for Harry, who has repeatedly expressed his desire for his children to maintain a connection to his home country.
© Meghan Markle/IGFollowing the reunion, reports have suggested that Harry is hoping to spend more time in Britain, with visits potentially taking place “every few months.” Whether Meghan, Archie and Lilibet will accompany him on those future trips remains unclear.
For now, however, Meghan’s earlier revelation offers a charming reminder that even from their California home, Archie and Lilibet have already picked up a little piece of their dad’s British upbringing. And after their latest trip across the Atlantic, hearing “zeh-bra” at home might carry even more meaning.
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