The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their plans to step down from royal life and relocate to the US in early 2020, just months after Archie’s birth in May 2019.
The family eventually settled in Montecito, California, a massive 5,459 miles away and an 11-hour flight, with Harry creating further distance from the royals thanks to his tell-all memoir Spare.
NFM CEO Sarah Hawkins told Express.co.uk that if Charles and Harry want Archie and Lilibet to have a relationship with the rest of the family they need to put aside their other issues.
She explained: “While Archie and Lilibet will no doubt grow up knowing exactly who their relatives are given their high profile, that doesn’t compensate for knowing them on a personal level. In fact, given the conflict that exists between Harry and the other royals, it is likely to cause even more harm.
“To avoid the conflict being handed down to the next generation King Charles and the rest of the family need to work hard to keep that bond strong wherever possible. The age of technology gives them an excellent advantage.
“Even if things don’t improve between Harry and Charles, the importance of grandchildren knowing that their grandparents tried all they could to maintain a relationship could help them to repair their relationship and bond in later years.”
She also pointed out the benefits of a strong grandparent/grandchild relationship, as Charles could provide “additional love, nurturing and support” as well as being “the link between cousins and other members of the extended family”.
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Ms Hawkins added: “There is endless evidence to show how important it is for children to feel part of the wider family to help them know their history, where they belong and where they have come from.”
Archie and Lilibet’s cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis often spend time with their extended cousins at family events such as Christmas at Sandringham and summer holidays at Balmoral.
In a picture released last month to mark what would have been the Queen’s 97th birthday Her Majesty’s youngest grandchildren and great-grandchildren can be seen posing and smiling with the late monarch.
The picture was taken by Kate, Princess of Wales, however Archie and Lilibet are noticeably absent from the image.
Standing at the back of the picture are Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh’s children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex.
In the next row down from left to right are Lena Tindall, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Isla Phillips and Prince Louis.
Seated next to Her Majesty are Mia Tindall, with her little brother Lucas on her lap, and Savannah Phillips.
Princess Beatrice’s daughter Sienna and Princess Eugenie’s son August are also not in the picture.
Peter Phillips, Princess Anne’s son, reminisced about happy days of his youth playing in the Scottish countryside with the “gang”, saying: “We had a lot of fun and there was a lot of space for kids to run around in, and it wasn’t just us, it was the Waleses (William and Harry), Freddie and Ella Windsor and the Gloucesters.
“So, there was quite a gang of us growing up in that age and it was a lot of fun. We caused quite a bit of mayhem and chaos.”
