Meghan Markle and Prince Harry running into the ocean surf with Archie and Lilibet
A European Getaway
A side-by-side view of Princess Diana and Meghan Markle enjoying their respective family beach vacations.
Meghan Markle, 44, recently unveiled a private collection of photographs from her family’s latest European travels. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex toured through Portugal and the U.K. alongside their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
Princess Diana and Meghan Markle photographed on separate sunny holidays with their children.
While the images capture the carefree spirit of a summer holiday, observers quickly noticed striking similarities to the classic beach trips famously taken by Princess Diana.
Echoes of 1993
Princess Diana walking along the shoreline with a young Prince Harry.
One standout photograph shows Meghan, Harry, Archie, and Lilibet running into the ocean surf together. In the shot, Meghan is seen wearing a simple black one-piece swimsuit.
Royal watchers drew immediate comparisons to a nearly identical swimsuit worn by Princess Diana in January 1993. During that specific family trip to Nevis, Diana vacationed with Harry, Prince William, and close family friends.
Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and their children running toward the ocean waves.
The visual parallel offers a quiet nod to the types of sunny escapes the late Princess of Wales cherished with her own boys.
Playful Family Dynamics
Princess Diana smiling as her sons bury her in the sand during a 1990 vacation.
Beyond the beach, the Sussexes’ vacation photos highlight a playful family dynamic that mirrors Diana’s famously hands-on parenting style. In April 1990, Diana was memorably photographed letting her sons bury her in the sand during a trip to the British Virgin Islands.
Prince Harry tossing Princess Lilibet into a swimming pool.
That same uninhibited joy is visible in a candid shot of Prince Harry tossing Lilibet high into the air over a swimming pool. The camera captures the five-year-old mid-flight just before splashing into the water..
Some of these poolside moments appear to have taken place at Althorp, Princess Diana’s childhood home. Observers noted that Harry’s uncle, Charles Spencer, and his wife, Cat Jarman, are visible in the background of one of Meghan’s photos.
Paying Respects at Althorp
The European tour included a deeply personal stop at the Althorp estate, which serves as Diana’s final resting place. A poignant image shows Harry and Archie carrying flowers as they walk through the estate grounds with Lilibet.
Princess Diana is buried on a secluded island within an ornamental lake known as The Round Oval, located in Althorp Park’s Pleasure Garden. Charles Spencer previously wrote that the lake’s isolation was a deliberate choice to protect the site.
He noted that the water and thick mud act as a natural defense, serving as a buffer against the “insane and ghoulish.” Spencer has openly expressed comfort in knowing his nephews can visit their mother privately.
“I think it’s very important for them to be there with her,” Spencer stated. “It is, luckily, very tranquil here, and they can come and go as they wish whenever they want. And that’s very lovely for me to know that.”
