Princess Diana may not have lived to meet her grandchildren, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are raising their little ones with plenty of homages to their late grandmother. The latest example of this came when the Duchess of Sussex shared some adorable family photos taken at Disneyland in Southern California – where she, Harry and their son Prince Archie, 6, headed for a fun couple of days celebrating their daughter Princess Lilibet’s 4th birthday.
Taking to Instagram over the weekend, Meghan shared the loveliest montage of her family having the best time at the theme park – which included a mix of photos and short videos. All of this shows the family of four enjoying lots of different rides, meeting Disney characters, sporting Disney merch, and enjoying classic Disneyland snacks such as corn dogs. The Duchess captioned the post: “Thank you @disneyland for giving our family two days of pure joy!”
But there’s one photo in particular that has caught eagle-eyed royal watchers’ attention: the one of Harry and Meghan on the ride formerly known as Splash Mountain. Archie and Lili don’t appear in that photo — it’s possible that they didn’t meet the height requirement for the ride, or simply weren’t in front of the camera on that occasion.
While these days this ride is known as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (based on the 2009 Disney film The Princess and the Frog), this wasn’t Harry’s first time on the log flume. In fact, the Prince experienced the same ride at Disneyland Florida circa 1993, when he was just eight years old.
At the time, Harry rode Splash Mountain with mum Princess Diana and brother Prince William, then 11, as reported by People. And if you’re wondering how the high-profile royals were able to visit the park, the answer is rather surprising. Splash Mountain was closed off to the rest of the public while they were on it, and they reportedly reached it via secret underground tunnels. A waiter who encountered the royals back then told the publication: “They were all very nice, very well behaved. She was a sweetheart.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
How sweet!