Making Headlines
Although Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have tried their best to shield their children from the public eye, being members of the Royal Family means giving a certain amount of leeway. And when Princess Lilibet Diana was born, the couple took some time as a family to celebrate the new arrival before they ultimately knew that the world needed to know. So, her birth was shared across the globe – and fans were over the moon.
By this point, Meghan and Harry had hung up their boots as working royals. But that didn’t stop the Royal Family from releasing a statement congratulating the couple on their new arrival. After all, there was another royal baby to add to the line of succession.
Huge Congratulations
As relationships were strained between Harry and the rest of his family at the time of Lilbet’s birth, many people wondered how the royals would celebrate a new addition to the brood. Would they ignore the celebrations? Would they go over the top with the congratulations? In the end, the members of the Royal Family ultimately decided to release a joint statement from the Queen, the then-Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince William and Kate Middleton.
In this statement, they celebrated the birth of “Her Majesty’s 11th great-grandchild” and confessed that the whole family was delighted with the news. But were they? Or did they think Lilibet would push an even deeper wedge between them and Harry?
What’s in a Name?
Although Harry was in a rough patch with his father and brother at the time, many fans assumed that the Queen was indeed delighted with Lilibet’s arrival – especially as the young princess was named after her. Both Prince Harry and Meghan Marle confirmed this fact when they announced the birth of Lilibet, stating that “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet.”
But what about the rest of Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor’s namesake? The official statement continued, “Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her beloved late grandmother, the Princess of Wales.”
A Christmas Shout-Out
Despite living their lives in the public eye, the royals have to be careful about what they do and don’t say in public. Because of this, you’ll never hear the monarch talking about their personal lives to the average Joe. And while fans had hoped that the Queen would open up about the fact that her great-granddaughter had been named after her, she kept mum about the whole thing until her Christmas speech.
Even then, the Queen didn’t mention Lilibet by name. During her address to the world, she simply referred to, “our young children, of whom we were delighted to welcome four more this year.”
More Details Coming to Light
For a while, the general public was left in the dark about Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their life with their children. But that all changed in 2023 when Harry released his book, ‘Spare.’ This infamous book shared royal stories, secrets, and personal anecdotes never heard before, and some of these stories revolved around his children. In fact, he confirmed within the pages of his book that he was the one who delivered Princess Lilibet.
“When the doctor said it was a question of minutes, I told Meg the first thing I wanted was for the little baby to see my face,” he wrote in the book.
Choosing the Godfather
A few months before Harry’s tell-all book came out, we had also learned a little about the people closest to the family – and the people closest to Lilibet. In Harry and Meghan’s 2022 docuseries, they confirmed that they had chosen Tyler Perry as Lili’s godfather. This didn’t come as a surprise to fans, who already knew how much Tyler Perry had helped the family. In fact, he offered Harry and Meghan a home and security when they left the royal family.
Apparently, Tyler Perry was honored to have been asked to be the godfather of Harry and Meghan’s daughter. But he was a little concerned about one particular thing, and he couldn’t shake his hesitation.
Sticking to Their Guns
When Tyler spoke to the cameras about his experience of being asked to be Lilibet’s godfather, he recalled that he said, “Uh, hold on a second – does this mean we gotta go over there and do all of that in church with [the royal family] and figure all that out? I don’t wanna do that.” And in any other circumstance, that would have been the case. However, by that point Harry and Meghan had distanced themselves from the other royals.
Because of this, they decided to stand their ground. And even if the royal family did have something to say about Tyler’s appointment, they weren’t going to change their minds.
A Big Birthday
The docuseries also gave fans a chance to see Archie and Lilibet in the flesh, too. In many shots, they could be seen playing and interacting with each other, and it was incredibly heartwarming to see the amazing life that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had built for themselves. And in one particular scene, we even saw Lilibet celebrating her first birthday with her closest family around her at Frogmore Cottage.
And while royal fans loved seeing this behind-the-scenes clip, they couldn’t help but notice the giant cake that had been designed by none other than Claire Ptak, who designed Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake.
Like Mother, Like Son
It was in their docuseries that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also spoke candidly about their children, and who they thought their kids took after. First up was Archie, and Prince Harry didn’t need to think too long or hard about which parent he thought his son looked more like. He said, “I think at the moment, I see a lot of my wife in Archie.” And this has been seconded by members of the public.
Looking at pictures of Meghan Markle and looking at pictures of Prince Archie, it’s clear to see that they are mother and son. They look so alike and are so clearly related. But what about Lilibet?
Very Spencer-Like
Well, it’s a different story for little Lilibet. Instead of looking just like her mom or even like him, Prince Harry believes that Lilibet looks just like her grandmother. Harry said, “I see a lot of my mom in Lili. She’s very Spencer-like. She’s got the same blue eyes… Golden-reddish hair.” Since this comment came to light, fans of Meghan and Harry have also seen the resemblance between Lili and Diana.
But Harry also used the docuseries to explain something else about his children’s appearance, which had become a talking point after their shocking Oprah interview. “My son, my daughter, my children are mixed race, and I’m really proud of that.” But that wasn’t all.
Keeping the Door Ajar
Now that they’ve left the royal family for a quieter life, there’s no doubt about the fact that Meghan and Harry have closed the door on being at the public’s beck and call. However, they have left the door ajar to disclose the information of their choosing. After all, they know they live in the limelight, and they know being “famous” comes with certain requirements when it comes to sharing information.
Because of this, the couple has shared little snippets here and there. And in 2021, Meghan herself opened up about her children on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for the very first time.
A Big Adjustment
In this interview, Meghan opened up about her new life and her experiences as a mother, and she was very candid without going into too much detail. However, fans could see just how much she loved her children, as her face swelled with pride as she talked about them. “Archie loves being a big brother. Someone told Harry and me that when you have on kid it’s a hobby and two children it’s parenting.”
She continued, “And suddenly we were like, ‘Oh, right!’ Everyone talks about what it’s like for the second child, but no one talks about the adjustment for the first child when the second one comes along.”
Big Talking Point
While fans loved hearing Meghan gushing over her children, even when talking about the struggles of parenting, there’s no doubt about the fact that their appearance was also a big talking point. Thankfully, this was in a positive light, which offered a welcome sigh of relief after it was revealed that those in the royal family were concerned about how dark their skin would be. In this case, the talk focused on their hair color.
While there’s no denying that Lilibet has red hair like her father, Archie’s hair has also become more and more red the older he gets. And this is a big contrast to Meghan’s dark hair.
Tough Childhood Memories
While Harry and Meghan love the color of their children’s hair, there’s no doubt about the fact that this red hair has been a serious bone of contention in the royal family over the years. As the only royal with red hair, Harry stuck out like a sore thumb when he was younger – and this didn’t help rumors that King Charles III wasn’t actually his father. In fact, Harry explained more about this in his book.
According to Harry, his own father would make jokes about his flaming red hair and the rumors that he was the illegitimate royal child of Princess Diana and Major James Hewitt.
Couldn’t Get Enough
In his book, Harry candidly wrote about his experiences. “One cause of this rumor was Major Hewitt’s flaming ginger hair, but another cause was sadism. Tabloid readers were delighted by the idea that the younger child of Prince Charles wasn’t the child of Prince Charles. They couldn’t get enough of this ‘joke’ for some reason. Maybe it made them feel better about their lives that a young prince’s life was laughable.”
Of course, we all know that these rumors followed the young prince into his adulthood, but most of us had no idea just how deeply those rumors affected him. Perhaps that’s why he’s so proud of his children?
Less of an Outsider
Having two children with the same hair color as him must fill Harry with immense happiness. For the first time in his life, there are other people in his family who look like him, and he knows that the world will never question their paternity and they’ll never have to go through what he went through. After all, it’s no secret that he felt like an outsider when he was younger.
This is especially true when it comes to his brother. He always felt as though he was the ‘spare’, and that’s one of the reasons why he doesn’t often speak about his brother in the press. However, he finally opened up in 2023.
An Irritating Younger Brother
During an interview with Hello! magazine in 2023, Harry spoke about his children and how seeing his kids grow up has made him appreciate what he was like when he was younger. He spoke about how the gap between his son and daughter is very similar to the gap between him and his older brother. He said, “To see Lili obsessed with Archie and Archie like, ‘No, no Lili, I need my space, I need my space.'”
He continued, “Now I get it. I get how irritating the younger sibling can be to the older sibling.” However, he noted that at the time he didn’t realize that at all.
Life as a Father
Becoming a father has certainly made Harry re-assess his own actions as a sibling, but it’s also made him understand a little more about his own father and some of the decisions Charles made when he was younger. More than anything, it seems as though he doesn’t want to follow in the footsteps of his father – which is why he and Meghan decided to step down as working royals and set up their own life.
He explained, “If I’ve experienced some sort of pain and suffering because of the pain and suffering that perhaps my father or parents suffered, I’m gonna make sure that I break the cycle so I don’t pass it on.”
One Big Happy Family
More than anything, Meghan and Harry seem to want to build a safe and secure life for their children to grow up in. In their docuseries, it was clear that they wanted to really be there for each other. Fans could see that they spent their days painting in the backyard, watching the sunsets, cuddling on the couch, and talking about all of the family members who meant so much to them – including the late Princess Diana.
And while it’s not known what relationship Archie and Lilibet have with their other grandparents, it’s not these relationships that have people scratching their heads. It’s the relationship between them and their great-grandmother.
Did Lili Meet the Queen?
When Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022, it’s fair to say that this news rocked the world. As the longest reigning monarch, her legacy won’t be forgotten – and her story will live on through her family members. Of course, this includes Lilibet, but many people wonder whether the Queen had the chance to meet her 11th great-granddaughter before she passed away. Tensions were high in the family at that time, after all.
Although Lilibet had already had her first birthday by the time the Queen passed away, the family were divided during this time – and Meghan and Harry had moved across the pond. So, did they meet?
A Life of Drama
A lot happened in the Royal Family just before Lilibet’s birth, and this could have made Lilibet meeting her great-grandmother very difficult. In April 2021, the world learned that Prince Philip had passed away. The death of the Queen’s husband shocked the world and left many in mourning, and Prince Harry attended the funeral by himself as Meghan was heavily pregnant with Lilibet at the time and not cleared to fly by her doctor.
After his grandfather’s death, Harry and his family were hounded in the media and shied away from the world in the U.S. Then, just over a year after her husband’s death, Queen Elizabeth II also died.
Time to Reflect
While Harry was not close with his other family members at the time of the Queen’s death, he did have a special relationship with his grandmother. Because of this, it’s thought that her passing hit him hard. To honor the life of the woman his daughter was named after, Harry posted a statement on the Archewell Foundation’s website. In this, he spoke about the woman who had been so influential in his life.
The statement read, “We are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty. She was globally admired and respected. Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life and now her everlasting legacy.”
A Fond Farewell
Reading the statement on the Archewell Foundation’s website, even those who had struggled with Prince Harry’s choices could see just how much the death of his grandmother had affected him. He had already experienced so much loss in his life, and many have suggested that the Queen was like a second mother to the prince, who often felt like an outsider. But more than anything, people still wanted to know whether the Queen had met Lilibet.
Well, the more they read, the more the public realized that the older Lilibet had indeed met the younger Lilibet. This was confirmed in Prince Harry’s open letter to his late grandmother.
Full-Circle Moment
Although Harry had indeed chosen to distance himself from the rest of his family and the Royal Family as a whole, it seems as though he wanted the two Lilibets to meet more than anything. After all, the world watched as the Queen spent time with Archie in professional photos shared with the world. But the same hadn’t happened with Lilibet – and many wondered whether the distance between Harry and his family had also extended to the children.
But Harry confirmed that both of his children had spent a considerable amount of time with her great-grandchildren, and that they had all adored each other and loved spending time together.
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