Lilibet, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter turned three on June 4, with her parents throwing a star-studded birthday bash in her honor. Unlike the conventional kids’ birthday party, the guest list, more than the adorable theme captivated the world. Notably, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly invited a handful of celebrities and their kids to the intimate affair, including Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry. Select family members from Lilibet’s maternal side also attended the star-studded fest. However, missing from the guest list were senior members of the British royal family per reports.
The absence of the senior royals at this bash was no coincidence. Royal author Tom Quinn disclosed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle failed to send out birthday invitations to the Royal Family. Speaking to The Mirror, relationship expert, Louella Alderson attempted to dissect the reasoning behind the couple’s decision to snub the monarchy. According to her, the couple chose to leave the royals out of the loop because of the tensions between them and the royal family.
To avoid further potential drama, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose to celebrate their daughter’s birthday privately, in the company of close family and friends. Their move ultimately implied that indeed, there exists unresolved “tension and distance” between the Sussexes and the monarchy. Louella added,
“It’s also possible that Harry and Meghan wanted to have a more intimate and personal celebration for their daughter’s first birthday without any outside interference or potential drama.”
Louella proceeded to touch on the complex royal family dynamics, and how contrary to general expectations, King Charles’ and Kate Middleton’s illnesses did little to heal the royal feud.
Prince Harry Did Not Want the Royals at Daughter Lilibet’s Birthday
Days prior, Tom Quinn echoed the significance of the royals’ absence at Prince Harry’s daughter Lilibet’s birthday despite having many big names in attendance. He found it shocking that the Sussexes did not deem it fit to invite members of the royal family. An old friend if Harry’s shared their take on the seeming snub, noting that Prince Harry axed the royals from his daughter Lilibeth’s birthday earlier on because he knew they would decline the invitation.
“Harry knew they wouldn’t come anyway and he was pretty sure he would not have wanted them there. But he is really sad that Archie and Lilibet cannot have any kind of relationship with their cousins while his feud with his family continues’.”
Princess Lilibet’s birthday drama comes weeks after the British royal family seemingly snubbed Prince Harry during his UK visit to celebrate the Invictus Games’ 10th anniversary. Many anticipated a reunion between Prince Harry, his dad, and by any luck, Prince William during his stay in UK. However, the Prince shocked with a public statement confirming no reunion would happen as King Charles was too busy to see him. Few miles away, the royal family held a family rendezvous celebrating the first Buckingham Palace Garden party of the year, to which Harry wasn’t invited.
More royal events have since followed, each one exempting Prince Harry, his wife Meghan Markle, their son Prince Archie and daughter Princess Lilibet. Even worse, some of these royal snubs have been glaring, with actions from the monarchy which seems like a direct affront against Harry. It isn’t surprising then that Prince Harry would resort of making a statement of his own, letting the royals know two can play.
