Prince Harry & Meghan Celebrate Their Daughter Lilibet’s 3rd Birthday

Jun 03, 2024 by apost team

Every so often, the public is treated to an inside view of the private life of Prince Harry and Meghan. The royal couple stays relatively quiet outside of curated press releases and rare public appearances. So when one of their children is celebrating their birthday, royal fans bask in the enjoyment of celebrating the big day as well.

Harry and Meghan had an adorable start to their relationship. Set up on a blind date in July 2016, the pair hit it off instantly. Harry revealed to Vogue: “I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her. I was like, I’m really going to have to up my game here.”

A few weeks later, Harry was whisking Meghan off to Botswana on a romantic sojourn, according to Town & Country. The couple later described this trip as bringing them together and starting their relationship. The country and their trip would become special to the couple over the years – so special that the center diamond of Meghan's three-stone engagement ring would come from Botswana.

The couple said “I do” in a private ceremony three days before their public wedding on May 19, 2018. 

June 4, 2024, marks the third birthday of Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor. The tiny tot was born in Santa Monica, California. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex first announced that they were expecting their second child on Valentine's Day in 2021, only to reveal the baby's sex during the March 2021 interview special "Oprah with Meghan and Harry." Read on to learn more about Lilibet’s birthdays over the years.

For months before the announcement of the birth of Lilibet, people across the world wondered if Harry would choose to pay tribute to his mother and grandmother with the birth of his daughter. Royal watchers had previously predicted that Harry and Meghan would choose to honor both the late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip by picking a meaningful name for their daughter, according to Express UK. 

The statement from the couple released about their daughter’s birth read, "It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world." 

The statement continued: "Lili was born on Friday, June 4 at 11:40 a.m. in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA. She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz. Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home."

The baby girl's name is truly meaningful as well, as all royal fans would know, and this was also addressed in the statement. "Lili is named after her late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother and former Princess of Wales, Princess Diana.

Harry and Meghan's spokesperson concluded their statement: "This is the second child for the couple, who also have a two-year-old son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke and Duchess thank you for your warm wishes and prayers as they enjoy this special time as a family."

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Lilibet’s 1st birthday in June 2022 was quite the event. The late Queen Elizabeth had yet to meet her youngest great-grandchild until the period of her Platinum Jubilee, which coincided with the same timeframe. She had actually only seen Lilibet through virtual means of communication due to outside circumstances.

As PEOPLE magazine was told by a source close to the couple, Elizabeth was the first to meet little Lili via a video call. PEOPLE had already reported beforehand that the late queen had known Harry and Meghan wanted to pass her nickname down to their daughter.

Us Weekly reported that the late queen and Lilibet did indeed meet in June 2022, just a few short months before Elizabeth passed in September 2022. An insider shared:

“After reluctantly pulling out of Party at the Palace, spending time with her great-grandchildren and seeing Lilibet turn 1 added some light to her day. She thinks they’re adorable and gave Lili and Archie gifts.”

On June 7, 2022, Harry and Meghan shared with the world the first official photo of Lilibet. Taken by their photographer friend, Misan Harriman, Lilibet looked adorable in her sky-blue dress, beaming with a big smile. 

“It was such a privilege to celebrate the 1st birthday of Lilibet with my family and hers! Joy and face painting all around ❤️🎂🎉,” Harriman said on Instagram, about Lilibet’s birthday celebration. 

Prince William and Kate Middleton greeted Lilibet on social media too, where they wrote, “Wishing a very happy birthday to Lilibet, turning one today! 🎈” Likewise, King Charles and Queen Camilla also shared their greetings through their social media account, Clarence House. 

“Wishing Lilibet a very happy 1st birthday today! 🎂,” they said in a tweet.

Prince Harry and Meghan decided not to put out any photos for Lilibet in 2023 to mark her 2nd birthday. Although the Waleses and the king and queen greeted her on her 1st birthday, they were mum on her 2nd birthday. Lilbet’s birthday came months after her father, Harry, released his controversial memoir, “Spare,” which contained several anecdotes that were critical of members of the British royal family. 

Page Six reported royal sources had claimed King Charles and Queen Camilla wouldn’t share any official greetings for Lilibet because they “don’t mark the birthdays of non-working members.”

“They, of course, wish Lilibet a very happy birthday, but nothing will be put out on any channels,” a source told OK! Magazine UK. Express UK even reported that King Charles planned to give Lilibet a “custom-made cubby house” for her second birthday. 

Following Harry and Meghan’s trip to Nigeria, it's possible they will celebrate Lilibet’s birthday together in California and perhaps release a new portrait for the young royal. 

In May 2024, the Sussexes' close friend and photographer, Harriman, was accused of doctoring their 2021 pregnancy announcement photo. Harriman clarified the drama on Instagram, demanding an apology from The Daily Mail and The Telegraph. 

“The original Jpeg without the black and White grade, I expect a full apology and retraction from @dailymail @telegraph No trees or meadows were moved or swapped, this is the image straight out of camera. Also that is a Jacaranda Tree, not a willow tree,” he wrote on social media alongside the original photo he took using an iPad. 

Happy Birthday, Princess Lilibet! What are your greetings for the young royal? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other royal family fans out there!