No matter the status of his relationship with his son, Prince Harry, or his daughter-in-law, Meghan Markle, King Charles refused to miss the opportunity to celebrate his youngest grandchild, Princess Lilibet, as she turned three earlier this week, The Mirror reports.
Though the royal family didn’t publicly wish Lili a happy birthday on its social media accounts—a policy it has adopted for any non-working royals or, in Lili’s case, the child of someone who is no longer working for the Firm—“King Charles had no intention of completely ignoring Lilibet’s birthday, so he has sent a gift, along with a message,” royal author Tom Quinn told the outlet.
That said—and, truthfully, not sure how we feel about this one—the King is reportedly saving back a special gift for when the feud finally ends between himself and his youngest son, Harry (also known as Lili’s proud dad). “He gave Prince George a beautiful handmade wooden swing with George’s name carved on it, and he has plans to give something similar to Lilibet, but not this year,” Quinn said. “And not unless and until the family feud dies down.” (Unsolicited opinion: Lili, or any other child, for that matter, shouldn’t be denied anything because of adult rifts. Just one person’s two cents.)
As Marie Claire reported on Lili’s actual birthday, this past Tuesday, June 4, Harry and Meghan threw their daughter a party over the weekend at their home in Montecito, California, and invited close friends over to celebrate—including, The Mirror reports, celebrities like Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, who are neighbors of the Sussexes (as are Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Oprah Winfrey, and Gwyneth Paltrow).
“Rather than go for a low-key celebration, Harry and Meghan have spent the past weekend enjoying a pre-birthday bash for their daughter Lilibet’s third birthday,” Quinn said. “Hugely expensive presents have been ruled out, but the couple’s mansion in California was awash with celebrities including Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom and their daughter, Daisy, who is just a few months older than Lilibet.”
Left off the guest list were, apparently, members of the royal family, according to Quinn. “Shockingly, no invitations to Lilibet’s party were issued to members of the royal family,” he said. “One of Harry’s old Army friends said ‘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 [Prince] Archie and Lilibet cannot have any kind of relationship with their cousins while his feud with his family continues.’”
Lili spent her first birthday abroad in the U.K., where she celebrated with an intimate backyard picnic at Frogmore Cottage, her family’s U.K. home until last year. Lili’s birthday fell in the middle of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, and Lili has a special connection with her great-grandmother—“Lilibet” was the familial nickname of Her late Majesty, a name that lives on through a newly minted three-year-old.
