Meghan Markle recently embraced the Halloween spirit by dressing up and taking her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, out for some trick-or-treating. While Meghan and the kids donned costumes fitting the occasion, Prince Harry seemed to skip the dress-up part.

The family took a break from their usual surroundings in Montecito, California, where they reside in a lavish mansion, to enjoy Halloween festivities in a suburban neighborhood of nearby Santa Barbara. This rare public outing saw them mingling with locals as they celebrated the spooky holiday.

Prince Archie, at six years old, enthusiastically dashed toward a house adorned with Halloween decorations, dressed in an ant costume. Meanwhile, his younger sister, Princess Lilibet, four, was already ahead, gathering treats at the doorstep, dressed as a bright green firefly. It is noted that Lilibet has only had the opportunity to meet her grandfather, King Charles, once.

Meghan, ever the doting mother, joined in the theme by wearing butterfly wings over her black tracksuit and sunglasses, perfectly complementing her children’s insect-themed costumes. Harry, contrasting his family’s costumes, opted for a casual look with a light blue baseball cap, a navy shirt, and jeans, seemingly not partaking in the holiday’s costume tradition.

Wearing a black tracksuit and sunglasses, Meghan appeared to coordinate with her children’s bug-themed outfits as she wore butterfly wings.

Harry, on the other hand, did not buy into the spooky spirit, wearing a light blue baseball cap with a navy shirt and jeans.

The Duke appeared to be carrying a water bottle in his left hand, with another sticking out of his back pocket, while Meghan appeared to hold a Thermos cup.

Royal watchers will find it a shame that Harry has seemingly left his costume at home as the Sussexes have previously spoken of the special place Halloween holds in their hearts. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spend Halloween with their children in Santa Barbara

Harry appeared to be holding a water bottle in his left hand with another sticking out of his back pocket while Meghan carried a Thermos cup 

 In their Netflix docuseries ‘Harry & Meghan’, the former Suits actress recalled how they learned their relationship was about to go public in 2016 while they were together in Canada.

She explained: ‘Harry said, “Well, if it’s going to come out tomorrow, let’s go and have fun tonight.”

‘We were like, well, this might be our last shot to just go out and have fun in the world.’

Harry added: ‘We went to this Halloween party where were could be completely dressed up and no one would know. I had on a bandana and goggles.’

But Halloween has not always been a happy occasion for Harry.

Writing in his memoir Spare, the Duke recalled how he was lambasted for dressing up as a Nazi for a costume party in 2005.

He said: ‘It was probably one of the biggest mistakes in my life. I felt so ashamed afterwards.’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made a point of keeping their children out of the public eye since they stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to Montecito. 

Meghan sported sunglasses and a black tracksuit with her butterfly wings while Harry opted for a casual look consisting of a light blue cap, navy shirt and jeans 

The couple have previously spoken about how much Halloween means to them

Now, royal watchers only get the occasional glimpse of the children on Meghan’s Instagram where she often shows the back of their heads.

Most of the snaps of the children show them in the garden with their faces hidden.

Understandably, there has been a huge reaction to these posts – with many followers expressing delight that the children have both inherited their father’s fiery red hair.

The launch of Meghan’s new account, which has the handle @Meghan, coincided with her new Netflix show With Love, Meghan and lifestyle brand As Ever.

From the glimpses Meghan has revealed on social media, six-year-old Archie has unsurprisingly changed a lot since we last saw him as a baby.

He and Lilibet were also seen on their parents’ 2025 Christmas card. 

Prior to that, Lilibet had last been seen in this portrait taken in the garden of Frogmore Cottage to mark her first birthday in June 2022.

This Halloween outing is also the first time the world has seen the Sussexes since King Charles stripped his brother Andrew of his Prince title on Thursday. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have chosen to keep Archie and Lilibet out of the spotlight since moving to the US. Here they are in the family’s 2021 Christmas card

A close-up of one of the photos on Prince Harry and Meghan’s 2025 Christmas card showing their dogs and children, Archie and Lilibet

Prior to the Christmas card, Lilibet had last been seen in this portrait taken in the garden of Frogmore Cottage to mark her first birthday in June 2022 

Archie and Lilibet featured in Meghan’s videos for Valentine’s Day as they made bagels with cream and strawberries 

The former duke, who will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, will no longer be referred to as prince and is set to move out of Royal Lodge.

Daily Mail readers have been overwhelmingly supportive of the King’s decision to remove Andrew’s ‘Prince’ title, but largely thought he should follow by doing the same to Harry and Meghan, currently known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 

Peregrine Grey, from London, said: ‘It is essential that Harry and Markle are also stripped of their Royal titles given their appalling behaviour and actions which have repeatedly disrespected, damaged and abused the Monarchy.

‘It is an absolute must if the Monarchy is going to survive and move forward with integrity and public respect. The public remains outraged that this action has not yet taken place.’

‘The Markles are next,’ Bruni Banani, from Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand, added.

Louise York, from Yorkshire, said: ‘I think the royal family should be slimmed down as the Danish Queen did before she stepped down. Meaning only the family in line to take the throne has their titles. So no Harry, Megan, their children and so on.’

A spokesperson for the Sussexes has been contacted to clarify why Harry seemingly did not wear a costume to mark Halloween with his family.