Why royals didn't publicly wish Lilibet a happy 2nd birthday

Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex speak with well-wishers at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.

(Image credit: Photo by Chris Jackson / Getty)

published 6 June 2023

Princess Lilibet — the daughter of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — turned two years old on 4 June.

While Harry reportedly stayed in California to make sure he celebrated with his daughter before flying to the UK for a court case, and we're sure the little girl was overwhelmed with love on the day, royal fans couldn't help but notice that no UK-based royals publicly wished Lili a happy birthday on social media.

This could be interpreted as a slight towards the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with whom the royals have had a tense and fragmented relationship since they stepped down from their royal duties in 2020. However, according to one source with insider knowledge of the situation, Buckingham Palace "did not snub" Lilibet or her parents by not publicly acknowledging the family occasion.

"There is no and has never been protocol for wishing happy birthdays to non working members of the Royal Family," the source told Us Weekly.

Still, the decision felt a bit like a deliberate one, since Queen Elizabeth actually wished her great-granddaughter a happy birthday on Twitter last year, as did Prince William and Princess Kate, and then-Prince Charles and Camilla.

At the time, The Royal Family account wrote: "Wishing Lilibet a very Happy 1st Birthday!"

Clarence House chimed in: "Wishing Lilibet a very happy 1st birthday today!"

And Kensington Palace said: "Wishing a very happy birthday to Lilibet, turning one today!"

They even took the time to send these wishes amid the busy weekend that was the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration, so we don't blame people for having questions about their silence this year.

Sadly, Prince Harry and his family don't seem to have much contact with the King and Queen and with the Prince and Princess of Wales these days. Exhibit A: when Harry visited the UK for the Coronation, he reportedly didn't meet with any of his family privately.

As always, we hope they can eventually build bridges.

Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.

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