Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drop hint over Archie and Lilibet's first public appearance

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Christmas card this year showed a rare move. The couple made a surprising decision, including a photo of their two children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, on the snap.

It is the first time the youngsters have been seen in years. Royal fans were delighted by the choice of image, which showed the children from behind as they ran towards their parents in the outdoors.

The family picture also included their three dogs. Now, some fans believed the photograph is a major hint that we will be seeing more of the children in the near future.

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A source previously told the Express that Archie and Lilibet might attend the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, in Vancouver, next year. It would mark their first public appearance, Mirror reports.

They said at the time: "Harry and Meghan are planning to take Archie and Lilibet to help promote a new 'family-friendly' Invictus Games. The Sussexes have been very involved with the organisational elements of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler events and it was very much their idea to make this a family-friendly games so that those taking part can bring their children along."

If the young prince and princess make their public debut, it would mark a change. Harry and Meghan have been very protective of their family's privacy.

Earlier this year, a friend of the couple told People: "Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats. He wants them to lead as normal a life as possible without the fear of kidnapping or harm."

The Duke of Sussex also spoke out recently about how grateful he is to be raising his children away from the pressures he would have had in the UK if he had remained a senior working royal. At The New York Times DealBook Online Summit on December 4, Harry said: "I very much enjoy living here and bringing my kids up here.

"It's a part of my life that I never thought I was going to live. I feel as though it's the life that my mum wanted for me. To be able to do the things I'm able to do with my kids that I undoubtedly wouldn't be able to do in the UK — it's huge.

"That is a fantastic opportunity and I'm hugely grateful for that."