The extended separation she’s referencing? When she joined Prince Harry in September 2022 for a couple of charitable engagements and Queen Elizabeth unexpectedly passed away at the same time. Archie was just three years old at the time and Lilibet was 15 months old—the Sussexes opted to stay put for funeral arrangements rather than travel back and forth, which meant they were apart from their kids for 17 days. (The pair memorably hopped a plane back to Montecito the very next day after the queen’s funeral.)
It’s a stunning revelation from Meghan, but also one that’s not surprising. Harry also surfaced memories of that time in his 2023 memoir Spare: “Our quick trip would now be an odyssey. Another ten days, at least. Difficult days at that. More, we’d have to be away from the children for longer than we’d planned, longer than we’d ever been.”
If anyone can get the duchess to open up, it’s France. But also, so much about Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral was unexpected and emotional. Meghan’s revelation further extends that point of view.