Meghan Shares Rare Valentine’s Photo of Prince Harry and Princess Lilibet
On Saturday, February 14, 2026 (ET), the duchess marked Valentine’s Day with a tender family photo that offered a rare, intimate glimpse into life in California. The snapshot shows Prince Harry holding their four-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet Diana, while the duchess summed up the moment with a warm caption calling her children her "forever Valentines. "
A private moment for a public holiday
The image, posted on the holiday, captures a relaxed backyard scene at the family’s Montecito home. Harry cradles Lilibet, who clutches a small bunch of heart-shaped balloons and wears a pale-pink ballet dress. Their son, Archie, is referenced in the caption but not visible in the frame. The duchess captioned the photo, "These two + Archie = my forever Valentines, " adding a heart to punctuate the sentiment.
Photographs of the couple’s children have been sparing since their move to Southern California in 2020 after stepping back from senior royal duties. When the family does share images, they tend to highlight ordinary, domestic pleasures: garden play, creative pursuits and quiet father-daughter or mother-daughter moments. This Valentine’s Day post continues that pattern, emphasizing family closeness over formal portraiture.
Life in Montecito and parenting in the spotlight
The Montecito residence has been described by the family as a place that allows them to focus on home life and parenting away from the constant scrutiny of public life. In the photo, familiar touches—sunlight, greenery and casual attire—underscore that sense of a home-centered family routine. Public remarks from the couple over recent years stress a desire for stability for their children and an environment where they can grow up with a measure of normalcy.
Prince Harry has spoken about his commitment to fatherhood and the ways his experiences have shaped his priorities; private family images like this one are an extension of that focus. Observers of the family’s social posts often point to small details—the children’s clothes, the setting, the caption—as intentional choices that balance affection with privacy.
Royal siblings mark the day too
Across the broader royal family, Valentine’s Day also saw a new offering from the Prince and Princess of Wales. The couple shared a black-and-white photograph that captured a more formal, posed moment—contrasting with the Sussexes’ cozy backyard scene. That image, photographed earlier in the year, shows the pair in coordinated layered looks and a springtime setting, emphasizing a public-facing, polished aesthetic rather than the private domestic mood of the Montecito post.
The parallel posts illustrate two different approaches to marking personal milestones on social media: one grounded in candid family life, the other presented with the trappings of official portraiture. Both, however, were centered on a common theme for the day—celebration of family and partnership.
For the duchess and her husband, the Valentine’s image reinforces the family-first message they have cultivated since relocating to California. It also offers a reminder of the ways contemporary royal images are shared and curated: selective, meaningful, and designed to convey a specific sense of home and family life to a global audience.
