A lot of royal watchers are all about gushing over how adorable the royal babies (who then turn into royal children) are, and it's true — but we don't give enough credit to the royal moms out there. Sure, they have a lot of perks that the rest of us regular moms will never have access to, but it certainly can't be easy to raise children in the spotlight — and many of these ladies are often so busy that carving out enough quality time to spend with the kids they love so much can become a challenge.
Still, through the years, we've seen these mothers share some truly unforgettable moments with their children, whether it was Princess Diana on vacation with Prince Harry and Prince William or Kate Middleton wrangling her brood of three while William was competing in a polo match. We just feel lucky to stand by and watch (and admire their outfits) while they do it.
From Queen Elizabeth to Meghan Markle and everyone in between, here are the sweetest royal mom moments. With so many members of the Firm still raising young children, we know that there are even more to come in the future.
Meghan's Second Pregnancy Announcement
When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that they were expecting Lilibet, they shared the news through their photographer friend, Misan Harriman, and this gorgeous photo of the Duchess of Sussex's bump. So far, we haven't seen any photos of their baby girl, but the joy they were both feeling is palpable through this pic.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
Kate's Polo Match Adventure
Not even royal moms are immune from having to find ways to keep the little ones entertained during outings! Here, the Duchess of Cambridge is at a polo match, busting out a snack to keep Princess Charlotte busy while also caring for a very tiny Prince Louis. She knows how it's done!
A Future Queen & a Future King
Here's a major throwback: a look at Queen Elizabeth (then Princess Elizabeth) as a first-time mom! She is pictured admiring a baby Prince Charles as he sits in his crib — the best time to admire a baby, honestly. It looks like it was love at first sight for these two.
Princesses Eugenie & Beatrice
In this photo from 1992, Sarah, Duchess of York, is on vacation in Klosters, Switzerland, with Eugenie and Beatrice. It looks like they're enjoying every minute of their fun in the snow — at least, judging by the huge smiles on all three of their faces.
A Grown-Up Outing
Sarah Ferguson also took her daughters on fun, fancy outings! Two years later in 1994, she was photographed with her girls, all dressed up as they headed out to see a theater production of Peter Pan. There's no doubt they made a lot of memories that night, too!
Eugenie's Baby Boy
Eventually, Sarah's daughters grew up and became mothers themselves. Though Beatrice has kept her daughter, Sienna, private so far, Eugenie has shared photos of her son, August, here and there — including this picture she posted on Instagram to announce his name, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.
A Park Outing
Eugenie took August out in June 2021 to see an installation of elephants in London's Green Park. She looks so happy here — and we love to see August in his adorable sun hat. He's already grown so much, and Eugenie seems to be loving motherhood so far.
Introducing Archie
One of Meghan's first — and biggest — power plays as a mom was introducing Archie to the public when and where she felt ready. Rather than following royal tradition and introducing him outside of the hospital where she gave birth, she waited a few days, showing him off when she wanted to.
Playtime With Mom
How sweet is it to see Diana playing in the yard with her boys? Here, Diana, William, and Harry were all at their home at Highgrove House, and if we didn't know better, we'd never guess that this was a royal family in action. There's no doubt that Diana adored these two.
Taking in a Game
In 2021, Prince George joined parents Kate and William at soccer's UEFA finals, and it was so sweet to see this family spending time with their oldest child. Even better was seeing this photo of Kate leaning over to talk about the game with George. She's always loved sports!
Princess Anne With Her Children
Queen Elizabeth's daughter, Princess Anne, is mom to two children, Zara and Peter. She was photographed a lot with both of them, but it's really sweet to see her with them together — especially since Zara was so tiny here.
Zara & Baby Lena
Remember that tiny little girl holding Princess Anne's hand? Here she is, with her own daughter riding on her shoulders! Zara is a mom herself now, and this is Lena, who was born in 2018. She also has two other children, Mia Grace and Lucas.
Queen Elizabeth With Her Sons
As the mom of three boys, Queen Elizabeth was sometimes photographed just with her sons. Here, she's with Prince Charles, Prince Edward, and Prince Andrew as they all attended the 1976 Olympic Games in Canada. That must have been a memorable experience!
Princess Margaret's Kids
Queen Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret (who died in 2002), was also a mom. She had two kids, pictured here: Lady Sarah Chatto and David Armstrong-Jones. Here, they're all looking pretty fashionable — but that's Margaret for you.
Archie on Tour
The same year Archie was born, Meghan and Harry took him on a royal tour of Africa, and he seemed to love it — and so did his parents. It was one of the few times we actually got to catch a glimpse of Meghan in action as a mom, and she was glowing in all of the pictures with her little guy.
On the Lift
The royals love their ski vacations, and Diana was no exception. Here, she and her boys are in Switzerland, heading up on a lift together. They look so cute in their ski jackets and sunglasses — this might be the most '90s picture taken of these three.
A Family Portrait
Considering how busy the Queen has always been, we can't imagine she's had an easy time gathering her kids around for a picture all at the same time at any point in their upbringing. But here, she and Prince Philip posed with all four of them. So sweet!
The First Day of School
Kate has always been applauded for her hands-on approach to parenting, and here is an example of her doing just that. She likes to drop off her kids at school herself whenever she can, so of course both she and William were there when Princess Charlotte joined her big brother at Thomas's Battersea.
Playing on the Beach
Diana didn't just take Harry and William on ski vacations — they were also quite fond of the beach. Here, she sat beside William as he dug in the sand during a trip to Necker Island in April 1990. This mom wasn't afraid to get a little sand all over her legs!
Like Mother, Like Daughter
The Queen looks like such a proud mom in this photo! Taken in 1969, Elizabeth and Princess Anne are all dolled up (tiaras included) for a visit to Austria. They both look gorgeous and so happy. How cool that they got to do royal tours together.
