Buckingham Palace confirmed this week that the Duke of Sussex will attend his father King Charles’s coronation on 6 May, but the Duchess of Sussex will remain at home in California with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
While Archie, who will turn four on the day of the coronation, was born in London, little sister Lilibet’s birthplace was Santa Barbara, and she has only visited the UK once.
The young royals joined their parents as Harry and Meghan flew over for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last June.
Lilibet’s first birthday
The Platinum Jubilee celebrations coincided with Lilibet’s first birthday and to celebrate their daughter’s milestone, Harry and Meghan threw a party at their UK residence, Frogmore Cottage.
The little girl was dressed in a beautiful blue dress and a floral hairband for the occasion.
The Sussexes shared adorable footage from Lilibet’s special day in their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, which aired back in December.
Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake baker Claire Ptak from Violet Cakes London made a stunning pink-tiered creation for Lilibet’s special day, complete with floral detailing.
The bakery’s Instagram account revealed that the cake was flavoured the same as the Sussexes’ Amalfi lemon and elderflower wedding cake but with added strawberry buttercream.
Lilibet’s mother-daughter outing with Meghan
Ahead of the Thanksgiving Service at St Paul’s Cathedral, the Duchess treated herself to some pampering and brought daughter Lilibet along to meet her long-time facialist, Sarah Chapman.
The British skincare expert shared an Instagram post with a stunning photograph of Meghan at the time, which read: “What a wonderful weekend celebrating 70 years of our inspiring Queen! Such incredible events and positive energy throughout the 4 days.
“For me, it was great to catch up with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to meet sweet little Lilibet and treat Meghan to a facial to enhance her natural glow.
“I always love seeing my clients and friends glowing at these fabulous events and I think she looked so graceful and radiant during the celebrations, along with many other familiar faces. – SC”
Lilibet and Archie see the Queen
Archie was reunited with the Queen, while Lilibet met her great-grandmother for the first and only time during their UK trip.
Harry spoke about his children’s meeting with the monarch in his tell-all memoir, Spare, which was released in January.
Recalling the moment, he and Meghan arrived home after the Queen’s funeral, Harry wrote of that special moment: “For days and days we couldn’t stop hugging the children, couldn’t let them out of our sight – though I also couldn’t stop picturing them with Granny. The final visit.
“Archie making deep, chivalrous bows, his baby sister Lilibet cuddling the monarch’s shins. Sweetest children, Granny said, sounding bemused. She’d expected them to be a bit more…American, I think? Meaning, in her mind, more rambunctious.”
Lilibet Diana was named in honour of the late Queen’s family nickname and Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana.
