Prince Harry reveals Lilibet has taken her first steps & Archie wants to follow in his footsteps to be helicopter pilot
PRINCE Harry has revealed his daughter Lilibet has taken her first steps and is even trying to keep up with her big brother Archie.
The Duke of Sussex, 37, said he “can’t wait” to take his children, aged two and ten months, to the Invictus Games in the future – and that his son wants to become a helicopter pilot.
Lilibet, who according to her father is now walking, is yet to meet her family in the UK – including her namesake great-grandmother, The Queen.
Meghan and Harry made a visit to Her Majesty last week without their children – before jetting off for the Invictus Games.
The Duke, who is currently in The Hague, added he is a “proud papa” and that little Archie loved videos of wheelchair basketball and rugby that he showed him from the Invictus Games in Sydney in 2018.
He told People magazine: “I showed him how some were missing legs and explained that some had invisible injuries, too.
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“Not because he asked, but because I wanted to tell him.
“Kids understand so much, and to see it through his eyes was amazing because it’s so unfiltered and honest.”
He added: “When I talk to my son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it’s an astronaut, other days it’s a pilot — a helicopter pilot obviously — or Kwazii from Octonauts,” referring to a daredevil cat from a children’s cartoon.
“But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, it’s your character that matters most, and nothing would make his mum and me prouder than to see him have the character of what we see before us today.”
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Speaking about the Invictus Games, he added: “Being a dad certainly adds another emotional layer to it.
“When I was in the Army, I promised myself I would be out before having a wife and kids, because I couldn’t imagine the heartache of being apart for so long during deployment, the risk of possibly getting injured, and the reality that my family’s lives could be changed forever if that happened.”
In 1993, as an eight-year-old, Harry was in his element when dressed in a miniature combat suit and helmet to ride in a tank on a visit to Germany.
He joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2005, and trained as an Army officer, then joined the Blues and Royals and went on to train to become a troop leader of an armoured reconnaissance unit.
‘PROUD PAPA’
A planned tour to Iraq was scrapped after it was found he would be a target for insurgents, but two tours to Afghanistan followed including one as an Apache helicopter pilot.
The 2022 Invictus Games will run from April 16 to April 22.
Meanwhile, the Queen invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join the Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony in June, sources claimed.
But Prince Harry and Meghan Markle WON’T be involved in Trooping the Colour for the Queen’s Jubilee, it is understood.
Non-working members of the firm are not able to take part in Trooping the Colour – or play any central role in Jubilee events.
This makes it highly unlikely that the couple will play a part in the Queen’s celebration of 70 years on the throne.
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It is understood to be Her Majesty’s “dearest wish” to see her family reunited on the balcony during her four-day celebration, the Express reports.
But sources close to the palace said the claims were “speculation” and Buckingham Palace declined to comment.