The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son Archie is a big fan of the children’s television series Octonauts, Harry’s friend JJ Chalmers has revealed. The TV presenter and former Strictly Come Dancing star told Radio Times he and Harry have grown up together and do “dad chat” now.
He said three-year-old Archie loves the popular animated show Octonauts, just like his own son James. The series follows Captain Barnacles and his crew of underwater explorers as they help rescue aquatic creatures across the world’s oceans.
Chalmers, who was injured in a bomb blast in Afghanistan in 2011, took part in Harry’s Invictus Games, which he said inspired his recovery. He told of how he has been through “some pretty extraordinary times” with Harry.
“In some ways we’ve grown up together. When we first met, we were both young lads in the military,” Chalmers said. “It’s been pretty lovely to move into the next stage of our life – marriage, kids – together.
“Now that we both have kids, we just do dad chat. I know that Archie loves The Octonauts and my son James loves it, too. The kids are a similar age and have similar interests.”
Chalmers said his children had not yet had the chance for a playdate with Archie and his younger sister Lilibet, who live in California, adding: “I’m sure they’ll get together one day soon.”
Octonauts, based on the books by Vicki Wong and Michael C Murphy, was produced for the BBC’s CBeebies channel and now also streams on Netflix. Harry and Meghan signed a multi-million deal with Netflix after moving to the US.
Read the full interview in Radio Times, out now.
