It’s reasonable to presume that Princess Lilibet remains unaware of her parents’ tumultuous history. Born in the US, she has been shielded from the complexities of her father’s past since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relocated to Montecito, California. Her upbringing starkly contrasts with that of her father’s, setting the stage for speculation and rumors, even amidst seemingly innocent events.
When Lilibet marked her first birthday in the UK, notable absences sparked chatter. Her royal aunt and uncle, Prince William and Kate Middleton, along with her cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, were notably missing from the celebration. Despite the presence of the late Queen Elizabeth, who reportedly declined a photo opportunity with her great-granddaughter, the absence of other family members drew attention.
Shortly after Lilibet’s birthday, public scrutiny intensified as the absence of William and Kate was noted. While strained relations between the Sussexes and the Waleses were apparent, Meghan’s friend’s public critique of Kate added fuel to the speculation.
On June 4, 2021, Harry and Meghan shared the joyous news of Lilibet’s birth, their second child after Archie in 2019. A spokesperson for the couple announced the arrival of Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, with congratulatory messages flowing from royal family members, including Prince William and Kate Middleton. However, the already frosty relations between the Sussexes and the Waleses continued to sour.
Lilibet’s birth in the US, away from the relentless scrutiny faced by her parents, offered a respite, allowing for a more tranquil introduction to the world. Given their residence in the US, it took time for Lilibet’s UK relatives to meet her.
Finally, at Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration in 2022, Lilibet was introduced to her great-grandmother. Subsequently, on June 4, 2022, her first birthday was celebrated at Frogmore Cottage, the then-UK base of her parents.
Meghan and Harry arranged a backyard picnic for their daughter’s big day. Their friend, Misan Harriman, released a wonderful picture of the little girl celebrating her birthday, and that remains one of the few pictures of Lilibet the public has seen.
Queen Elizabeth refused to take picture with Lilibet at 1st birthday party
The picnic at Frogmore Cottage marked the first time that Lilibet met her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and her grandfather, then-Prince Charles.
Yet, while they both must have been pleased to see Lilibet, no photos of their first introduction were made public. As The Sun reported, Queen Elizabeth actually banned Harry and Meghan from having a photographer present.
“Harry and Meghan wanted their photographer to capture the moment Lilibet met the Queen,” an insider told The Sun. “But they were told no chance. It was a private family meeting.”
According to royal expert Camilla Tominey, the queen refused to take a photo with the little girl because she had a bloodshot eye. Tominey claims that the monarch did not want to be in any images that would be made public.
At the time, Tominey wrote in The Telegraph that Harry was rumored to have expressed his desire to get a photo between the two “at some point in the future.”
Today, new reports suggest that Queen Elizabeth decided not to take a picture with Lilibet for a whole different reason.
According to royal expert Phil Dampier, the queen had a “lack of trust” for Harry and Meghan at the time, as they had taken part in the infamous Oprah Winfrey interview just months earlier. As a result, she wanted to avoid a picture being taken with her great-granddaughter.
“Even if the Queen had been struggling with her health she was still sharp as a tack. She realized that any photograph taken of her with Lilibet could have been exploited,” Dampier told The Sun.
“I don’t think she was very pleased that it was presented to her as a fait accompli that the name Lilibet was chosen in the first place. She put her foot down and said ‘no photographs’.”
Meghan Markle’s pal mocked Kate Middleton after declining Lilibet birhtday invite
Reports claim that the only children to attend the party were Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips’ children. Prince William, Princess Kate, and their children opted not to attend. Tension was still high then, and things have hardly improved today.
Prince William and Kate Middleton were said to have had other commitments on the day of Lilibet’s birthday party, which was the given reason as to why couldn’t attend. However, royal expert Christopher Andersen told Us Weekly that the future king and queen made “no effort” to introduce George, Charlotte, and Louis to Lilibet during the Sussexes’ UK visit.
After Prince William and Kate Middleton declined the invite to Lilibet’s 1st birthday picnic at Frogmore Cottage, one of Meghan’s friends was left quite annoyed.
Garcelle Beauvais, who became a star on the television show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, spoke to E! about the fact that the now-Prince and Princess of Wales skipped the birthday bash.
She branded Kate’s decision not to be there as “shady.”
“What’s going on is, ‘What a coincidence, we’re out of town; I’m washing my hair.’ There’s a little shade there,” Beauvais told E!.
“They can’t hold back the flight a couple of hours to meet Lilibet and Archie?”
A family feud is never a pretty thing, and they often grow infinitely more complex when kids are involved.
The ongoing “battle of the brothers”, and the fact that Harry and Meghan moved to the US, means that Harry hasn’t seen his nephews and niece for quite a while. According to royal biographer Tom Quinn, Harry is ‘devastated’ about the rift.
Princess Lilibet turns three – inside the low-key birthday celebration
“We know that Harry’s deepest upset concerns not just his lack of relationship with George, Charlotte and Louis, but also his own children’s lack of a relationship with their cousins,” Quinn told the Mirror.
“Harry and Meghan would love to get round the problem – they would love it if the cousins could meet regularly and have a positive relationship as they grow up, but they cannot see a way to do it while they themselves, Harry and Meghan, are estranged. Harry has said that he hopes the cousins can at least be friends as adults.”
On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, Lilibet celebrated her 3rd birthday. Lilibet’s first birthday was, as mentioned, celebrated in the UK. Her second birthday was reportedly a “celeb-packed all-American bash” in California, but this year, the celebration is said to have been rather low-key.
As reported by People Magazine, the festivities surrounding Lilibet’s birthday began with a “pre-birthday bash.” Over the weekend, Harry, Meghan, and their children celebrated their daughter with a party in their Montecito mansion. Guests were “close friends and family as well as some of Lili’s friends.”
Meghan Markle revealed new details about Lilibet during Nigeria visit
Harry and Meghan have decided to keep their children out of the spotlight, and rarely share any information or pictures concerning Archie and Lilibet. Both children appeared in their Netflix series, released in December 2022, where royal fans discovered that Archie was speaking in an American accent, among other things.
A few weeks ago, Harry and Meghan went on a three-day tour to Nigeria to promote the Invictus Games. During the trip, while visiting a school in Abuja, Meghan revealed that Lilibet’s “favorite class” was “singing and dancing,” most likely because of “all the jumping around.”
Moreover, the Duchess spoke briefly about her daughter while engaging with some pupils.
“Interestingly, so our daughter, Lili, she’s much, much tinier than you guys. She’s about to turn three. And a few weeks ago she looked at me and she would just see the reflection in my eyes. And she said ‘Mama, I see me in you’. Oh, now she was talking really, literally,” Meghan said, as per the Mirror.
“But I hung onto those words in a very different way. And I thought, yes, I do see me and you, and you see me and you, but as I look around this room, I see myself in all of you as well.”
While the Sussexes have decided to keep Archie and Lilibet out of the spotlight until now, that might change.
Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty Images
According to royal expert Tom Quinn, the Sussexes are considering bringing their children with them for future appearances when traveling abroad.
“Meghan is acutely aware of what a great look this will be – the charming royal couple with their charming royal children will attract the sort of publicity that Harry and Meghan crave, especially now that they are so determined to be billionaire entrepreneurs,” Quinn told the Mirror.
The royal expert added: “While Harry and Meghan go on with their increasingly prominent royal lives, Kate and William are left floundering and Meghan and Harry know it.”
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