Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have delighted fans with the release of their 2024 Christmas card and many believe they’ve dropped a big hint on when we will see Archie and Lilibet making their first public appearance

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a surprising decision when it came to their Christmas card this year.

The couple chose to include a very rare photo of their two children, Archie and Lilibet – the first time the youngsters have been seen in years.

Fans were delighted by the image, which shows the children from behind as they excitedly run toward their parents. Many were quick to note how grown up the pair look in the picture, which also includes the family’s three dogs. Meghan can be seen smiling towards Archie, five, while Harry is squatting down to greet three-year-old Lilibet, who has red hair, just like her older brother.

And some believe that the photograph is a major hint that we will be seeing more of the children in the very near future.

A source previously told the Express that Archie and Lilibet could attend the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Vancouver next year, marking their very first public appearance.

The source said of the event, which will be held on February 8, “Harry and Meghan are planning to take Archie and Lilibet to help promote a new ‘family-friendly’ Invictus Games.

“The Sussexes have been very involved with the organisational elements of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler events and it was very much their idea to make this a family-friendly games so that those taking part can bring their children along.”

Should Archie and Lilibet make an appearance, it will mark a huge turnaround for Harry and Meghan, who are fiercely protective of their family’s privacy.

Earlier this year, a friend of the couple told People: “Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats. He wants them to lead as normal a life as possible without the fear of kidnapping or harm.”

And the Duke of Sussex also spoke out recently about how grateful he is to be raising his children away from the pressures he would have in the UK if he had remained a senior royal.

At The New York Times DealBook Online Summit on December 4, Harry said: “I very much enjoy living here and bringing my kids up here. It’s a part of my life that I never thought I was going to live.

“I feel as though it’s the life that my mum wanted for me. To be able to do the things I’m able to do with my kids that I undoubtedly wouldn’t be able to do in the UK — it’s huge. That is a fantastic opportunity and I’m hugely grateful for that.”

Despite being sixth and seventh to the throne, Archie and Lilibet have spent almost no time in the UK and, as a result, have very little to do with the royal relatives, including grandfather King Charles, their uncle and aunt Prince William and Princess Kate, and cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Harry and Meghan quit royal life in January 2020, less than two years after their May 2018 wedding. And they are now all but estranged from Harry’s family having levelled a number of criticisms at members of the monarchy – in their Oprah interview, their Netflix series, and in Spare. As such, a huge gulf has developed, and the Sussexes are said to have been ‘cut off’ by prominent royals, including Prince William.