We promise it’s not as sinister as it sounds. One royal expert just wants the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to cover all their bases, because one law could possibly leave Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s son Archie “trapped” in the United States. But for that to happen, a few major things would have to go down first. Namely, Meghan, 38, and Harry, 35, would have to get divorced.
So, this is all hypothetical for now. The Sussexes are happily married as far as the world can see—so happily married that they made the decision to step back from the rest of the royal family and move to America to live their best life together. According to Lady Colin Campbell, however, they might want to have a serious conversation about what would happen if they separate one day.
If Archie becomes an official resident of the United States, he would need both of his parents’ consent to leave to the U.K., for example, to visit his grandmother the Queen and live his best royal life—something that L.A-born Meghan could contest to. If she doesn’t agree, Archie is legally obligated to remain in the States until he’s 18, according to one international law.
Lady C explained the convention, otherwise known as the Hague Convention against International Child Abduction, in a recent webcast episode. “If anybody’s marital home is in England and they get divorced or separated, the child is required to remain in England until it is 18 save by the consent of the parties concerned,” the commentator began. “The same applies in America, in France, in any of the tremendous numbers of countries who are signatories to the Hague Convention.”
“That means that once Meghan moved Harry and the baby to America, if they set up operations in America, and there is a separation and/or divorce, unless Meghan agrees to the baby coming back to live in England, the baby is trapped in America until he is 18,” she added. “The Hague Convention trumps everything else.”
Let’s just hope that A) Prince Harry and Meghan never separate in the first place and B) if they do, they’ll be able to work out Archie’s travel and freedom for themselves—no Hague Convention necessary. Whew.