No Royal Family Princess Lilibet Birthday Post ‘Not a Snub’ to Harry and Meghan
Princess Lilibet’s birthday passed with no public acknowledgment from the royal family. Both a commentator and a “palace source” say it was “not a snub” to her parents, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lili turned 2 on June 4
June began with a birthday in the Sussex household. On June 4, 2023, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s youngest child, Lili, turned 2. Harry and Meghan didn’t publicly celebrate the milestone in their daughter’s life.
Although Lili’s birthday did make headlines of sorts when a judge called Harry out for skipping court on June 5 in London, England, because of his daughter’s birthday.
Previously, when Lili turned 1 in 2022, she spent her birthday in London with Harry, Meghan, and her older brother, Prince Archie, 4. Lili’s birthday fell during Platinum Jubilee weekend. The family of four celebrated with a garden party at Frogmore Cottage, their former U.K. home.
Harry and Meghan also marked the milestone with a birthday portrait of Lili taken by photographer Misan Harriman
Lili didn’t get a royal family birthday post because they’re supposedly reserved for working royals
Harry and Meghan’s daughter not getting a happy birthday post from the royal family on their official social media channels wasn’t, according to Hello Magazine royal correspondent Danielle Stacey, out of the ordinary.
Stacey told the outlet that birthday posts have included only the most senior royals since Lili’s grandfather, King Charles III, ascended the throne in September 2022.
Public birthday acknowledgments appear to be “for working members of the royal family, such as the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal,” she said.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, and no longer carry out royal duties,” Stacey added. “Similarly, the palace doesn’t typically share messages on the likes of Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and Zara Tindall’s birthdays nor their children’s special days.”
Meanwhile, a “palace source” said it’s “never been protocol” to formally wish non-working royals or their kids happy birthday on “official channels” (via Us Weekly). “There is no and has never been protocol for wishing happy birthdays to non-working members of the royal family,” they said.
Previously, the late Queen Elizabeth II wished Lili a happy birthday on the royal family’s official Twitter account in 2022 when she turned 1. The late monarch, and Lili’s namesake, did the same for Archie when he celebrated his third birthday in May 2022.
The royal family didn’t acknowledge Harry and Meghan’s son’s birthday with a social media post either
Lili didn’t get a formal birthday post and neither did her brother. Nearly a month before she turned 2, the royal family stayed silent when Archie had his birthday on May 6.
Falling on the same day as the king and Queen Camilla’s coronation, the royal family’s social media channels didn’t include any mention of Archie’s birthday.
However, royal expert Nick Bullen previously told the outlet that King Charles privately acknowledged Archie on coronation day.
“I hear that the king made a toast to Archie ’cause it was his birthday, but even the way the king said that, [adding] ‘wherever he is,’ it was sad,” Bullen, editor-in-chief of True Royalty TV, said at the time.
“And I think that’s the sad piece is that these two grandchildren aren’t part of the story,” Bullen added. I think that is sad for them, sad for the king, but the Sussexes have made their decision on that.”
Next up is Meghan’s birthday on Aug. 4, followed by Harry’s on Sept. 15.
