A pair official said at the time, “It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, into the world.”
Other royal family members that congratulated Harry and Meghan on the birth of their second child included Prince William and Kate Middleton. But the Sussexes’ and Waleses’ relationship is now more chilly than it has ever been.
Lilibet was born in the US after her parents had already departed the Royal Family. Lilibet could dodge the paparazzi press that had trailed Harry and Meghan around the world because she would benefit from a more private and quiet presentation to the public.
Since the Sussexes live in the US, it took some time for Lilibet’s family in the UK to meet her.
In 2022, Lilibet attended Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration and had her first glimpse of her great-grandmother. On June 4, 2022, Lilibet turned one, and her parents decided to celebrate at Frogmore Cottage, where they were living at the time in the UK.
Meghan and Harry had arranged for a garden picnic for their daughter’s birthday. The adorable picture of the small child celebrating her birthday that their friend Misan Harriman published is one of the rare public photographs of Lilibet.
Queen Elizabeth refused to have her picture taken at Lilibet’s first birthday party.
At the Frogmore Cottage picnic, Lilibet first met her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and her then-grandfather, Prince Charles.
No photos of their first meeting were made public, but they must have both been pleased to see Lilibet. As The Sun reported, Queen Elizabeth really 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 no one took a chance on them. It was an intimate family get-together.
According to royal researcher Camilla Tominey, the queen refused to have a photo taken with the small girl because she had a bloodshot eye. Tominey claims that the queen asked not to be included in any photographs that were made public.
Tominey reported at the time in The Telegraph that Harry had expressed his want to take a photo with her “at some point in the future.”
Royal analyst Phil Dampier said that because Harry and Meghan had taken part in the contentious Oprah Winfrey interview only a few months earlier, the queen at the time felt a “lack of trust” in them. That’s why she didn’t want a picture of her great-granddaughter.
The Queen struggled with her health, yet she never lost her sharpness. Dampier told The Sun that she realized any picture she had taken with Lilibet may have been used maliciously.
“I don’t think she was particularly pleased that Lilibet was chosen for her and delivered to her as a fait accompli in the first place. She put her foot down and said that photos were not allowed.
Meghan Markle’s acquaintance ridiculed Kate Middleton for declining Lilibet’s birthday invitation.
The only people who reportedly attended the event were Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips’ children. Prince William, Princess Kate, and their children choose not to attend. Tensions remained extremely high, and not much has changed since then.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s official excuse for missing Lilibet’s birthday celebration was that they had other commitments that day. 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’ visit to the UK.
When Lilibet’s first birthday picnic at Frogmore Cottage was rejected by Prince William and Kate Middleton, one of Meghan Markle’s friends was not happy.
In an interview with E!, actress Garcelle Beauvais of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills talked about the Prince and Princess of Wales’ absence from the birthday celebration.
She described Kate’s decision to miss the gathering as “shady.”
What a coincidence that we are out of town as I am shampooing my hair. Beauvais turned to E and said, “There’s some shade there.”
“It’s not like they can wait a few hours to meet Lilibet and Archie before they board the flight?”
Family disputes are never fun, and when kids are involved, they often get much more problematic.
The “battle of the brothers” and Harry and Meghan’s move to the US have kept Harry from seeing his nephews and niece for some time. Harry, according to royal biographer Tom Quinn, is “devastated” by the division.
The celebration of Princess Lilibet’s third birthday is low-key.
Quinn said to the Mirror, “We understand that Harry’s primary source of distress is not only his separation from George, Charlotte, and Louis, but also the fact that his own kids don’t get along with their cousins.”
“Harry and Meghan are determined to resolve the matter. They can’t see how that can happen while they are still at odds, but they would really enjoy it if the cousins could get together often and have a nice bond as they grow older. Harry stated his hope that the cousins’ friendship would endure until adulthood.
Lilibet turned 3 on June 4, 2024, a Tuesday. As mentioned before, the UK celebrated Lilibet’s first birthday. Her second birthday was reportedly celebrated with a “celeb-packed all-American bash” in California, but this year’s celebration is reportedly less extravagant.
People Magazine said that Lilibet’s birthday celebrations began with a “pre-birthday bash.” To commemorate their daughter, Harry, Meghan, and their children hosted a celebration at their Montecito home over the weekend. Among the guests were “close friends, family, and some of Lili’s friends.”
Meghan Markle revealed fresh details about Lilibet while she was in Nigeria.
Since Harry and Meghan have chosen to keep their children out of the spotlight, they hardly ever share updates or pictures of Lilibet and Archie on social media. Among other things, royal admirers discovered that Archie had an American accent when the kids made their Netflix series premiere in December 2022.
A few weeks ago, Harry and Meghan spent three days in Nigeria promoting the Invictus Games. While visiting a school in Abuja, Meghan mentioned that Lilibet’s “favorite class” was “singing and dancing.” Most likely, this resulted from “all the jumping around.”
The Duchess also spoke with a couple of students and delivered a little statement about her daughter.
It’s interesting to see that none of you are as big as Lili, our daughter. She will soon turn three years old. And a few weeks before, my eye’s reflection was all she would see when she looked at me. She said, “Mama, I see myself in you.” “Oh, now she was talking really, literally,” Meghan said, as reported by the Mirror.
However, I understood those words completely differently. And as I looked around this room, I realized that although I do see myself and you, and you see me and you, I also see myself in all of you.
For the time being, Archie and Lilibet have not been in the public eye, but the Sussexes can choose to change that.
People Magazine said that Lilibet’s birthday celebrations began with a “pre-birthday bash.” To commemorate their daughter, Harry, Meghan, and their children hosted a celebration at their Montecito home over the weekend. Among the guests were “close friends, family, and some of Lili’s friends.”
Meghan Markle revealed fresh details about Lilibet while she was in Nigeria.
Since Harry and Meghan have chosen to keep their children out of the spotlight, they hardly ever share updates or pictures of Lilibet and Archie on social media. Among other things, royal admirers discovered that Archie had an American accent when the kids made their Netflix series premiere in December 2022.
A few weeks ago, Harry and Meghan spent three days in Nigeria promoting the Invictus Games. While visiting a school in Abuja, Meghan mentioned that Lilibet’s “favorite class” was “singing and dancing.” Most likely, this resulted from “all the jumping around.”
The Duchess also spoke with a couple of students and delivered a little statement about her daughter.
It’s interesting to see that none of you are as big as Lili, our daughter. She will soon turn three years old. And a few weeks before, my eye’s reflection was all she would see when she looked at me. She said, “Mama, I see myself in you.” “Oh, now she was talking really, literally,” Meghan said, as reported by the Mirror.
However, I understood those words completely differently. And as I looked around this room, I realized that although I do see myself and you, and you see me and you, I also see myself in all of you.
For the time being, Archie and Lilibet have not been in the public eye, but the Sussexes can choose to change that.