Meghan and Harry share birthday picture of Archie with face obscured

Some fans complained while others defended the toddler’s privacy

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared a birthday picture of their son Archie, who turned two on Thursday, with his back to the camera.

The sepia-toned image, released on the couple’s official Archewell website, shows the toddler wearing a jumper, jeans and trainers, and holding on to a large bunch of balloons.

But instead of celebrating Archie’s new milestone, some fans of the royal family have taken to social media to complain that they can’t see his face in the new photo.

Harry and Meghan have released photographs in which Archie’s face is not visible before. On International Women’s Day, an official picture shared by the Duke and Duchess showed Archie with his head on his mother’s chest.

The couple’s Christmas card last year also did not feature a photograph of the toddler and was instead an illustration of the family, created from a picture taken by Meghan’s mother.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared a new photo of Archie to celebrate his second birthday (Duke and Duchess of Sussex / Archewell)

Some critics accused Harry and Meghan of being “pretentious” for not showing his face. One person said: “Why bother posting this at all?”

Another wrote: “That can be any child. A waste of time posting this ridiculous picture.”

However, others defended the couple’s decision and pointed out that Archie deserves his privacy.

One person said: “Why would they show his face with all the scrutiny he has already been through, his hair, his skin, leave that little baby alone.”

“They want to keep him safe from the paparazzi,” added another. “Well thought-out pic.”

Other fans took issue with the type of balloons Archie is holding in the picture, which appeared to be helium Mylar balloons. Mylar balloons are shiny balloons coated in a plastic layer known as mylar and are not environmentally-friendly as they are not bio-degradable.

The Sussexes appealed to well-wishers wanting to mark Archie’s second birthday to advocate for vaccine equity and donate towards initiatives to get Covid vaccines to poorer countries.

They wrote in a joint statement: “We will not be able to truly recover until everyone, everywhere, has equal access to the vaccine.

“And what that intention, we are inviting you to contribute whatever you can - if you have the means to do so - to bring vaccines to families in the world’s most vulnerable places.

“We cannot think of a more resonant way to honour our son’s birthday. if we all show up, with compassion for those we both know and don’t know, we can have a profound impact,” added the couple.