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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Will Maule

Queen meeting Lilibet may heal rift with Harry and Meghan, royal expert says

As the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations get underway, all eyes will be on Harry and Meghan's much-anticipated reunion with the royals following their bitter exit from the family more than two years ago.

In particular, onlookers will be paying close attention to members of the royal family as they gather on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the RAF flypast.

Prince Harry and Meghan are expected to attend along with their children Archie, 3, and one-year-old Lilibet.

They are set to be joined by the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall, along with other family members. The Queen is not due to attend.

However, at some point, Lilibet is expected to meet her great-grandmother for the first time.

Archie meeting his great grandparents the Queen and the late Prince Philip - the only photo of the Queen with Meghan and Harry's firstborn (PA)

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While the Sussexes are not involved in the pageantry of the Palace gathering, the Queen has insisted that they are shown the same courtesies as the wider members of the family, according to royal expert Richard Kay at the Daily Mail.

However, it is unclear what sort of a welcome Harry and Meghan will receive amongst the British public following their very public departure from the UK in 2020.

According to polling data from YouGov, only one in three brits view Harry positively, while more than half see him in a negative light - his net approval rating is minus 26. Meghan's approval as plunged from minus 39 in March to a new low of minus 42. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey last year, the Sussexes made accusations of racism and rifts within the royal family.

Pictures of Lilibet have been scarce (alexilubomirski/Instagram)

The Sussexes arrived in the UK on Wednesday and were ushered from the airport to their residence at Frogmore Cottage, Windsor, in a bulletproof Buckingham palace-owned Land Rover, allegedly upon the wishes of the Queen herself. Their daughter Lilibet, who was named after the Queen, is set to have a small birthday party at Frogmore which may be attended by Her Majesty. Lilibet turns one on Saturday.

Many royal commentators hope that a photo opportunity will be afforded to the Queen and Lilibet as a gesture of goodwill after two years of friction and strained relationships between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family.

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