Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrated their daughter Lilibet’s birthday in Californian style this weekend, with a birthday party thrown at their Montecito mansion.
People magazine confirmed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whose daughter Lili turns three today, hosted a ‘pre-birthday bash’ at their £12million ($14million) home at the weekend.
The party was opened up to ‘close friends and family’ – however the guest list has not been published and it is unclear which members of the Sussexes’ family were in attendance. Femail has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Lilibet’s third birthday comes after her parents shared a rare insight into their daughter’s personality in recent weeks, during their 72-hour whirlwind tour of Nigeria.
Princess Lilibet will be celebrating her second birthday today, after marking her first birthday in Frogmore Cottage last year (pictured) while the family was in the UK for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee
Meghan, 42, revealed to school pupils that her daughter’s favourite class at nursery was dancing – ‘probably because of all the jumping around’.
The third birthday party is not the first bash the Sussexes have hosted at their home in honour of Lili – after also throwing a Christening celebration for her in 2023.
The duke and duchess hosted the religious ceremony, which was carried out by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Reverend John Taylor, in the March.
People magazine reported that there were between 20 and 30 guests at the event, including Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland and Lilibet’s godfather Tyler Perry.
They were serenaded by a gospel choir, who are believed to have performed Oh Happy Day and This Little Light of Mine — a song that was played at Meghan and Harry’s wedding.
Meanwhile an insider revealed that after the ceremony, ‘attendees were treated to an afternoon of food and dancing — with Archie enjoying a dance with his little sister!’
A source also told the magazine that Lilibet’s aunt and uncle, the Prince and Princess of Wales, grandfather King Charles and step-grandmother, the Queen Consort, had been invited to the event but had not attended.
However, despite the fact that no senior royals from Harry’s paternal family were in attendance at the Christening, some of his close relatives were in attendance, according to reports.
Prince Harry and Meghan with their two children in a Christmas card they released in December 2021
Photos shared by pal of the Sussexes and professional photographer Misan Harriman include a snap of Meghan holding Lilibet while standing with the photographer’s wife Camilla Holmstroem and their two daughters at Lilibet’s 1st birthday
Lilibet’s apparent stunning birthday cake made for a previous year, adorned with peonies, was the same flavour as at the Sussexes’ wedding but was covered with strawberry buttercream
Marie Claire reported that Harry’s aunts from his mother Princess Diana‘s side, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, had been in attendance at the Christening.
Both Harry and William have remained close with their aunts and uncle on their mother’s side since the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born on June 4, 2021 in California. Although she has lived there all her life, the toddler did celebrate her first birthday in the UK, at the Sussexes’ former residence Frogmore Cottage.
The couple held a ‘relaxed’ first birthday party for Lilibet in the garden of the royal residence which involved a birthday cake, balloons, party games and picnic snacks.
Those who were said to have also been at Frogmore Cottage included Zara and Mike Tindall’s three children, Mia, Lena, and Lucas, as well as Savannah, and Isla, daughters of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly.
Archie’s godfather, Charlie Van Straubenzee, and his brother Tom, godfather to Princess Charlotte, were also invited, it is understood.
Few details were given about Lilibet’s christening but it was held in the plush, chic home of Harry and Meghan in Santa Barbara, California, of which royal fans saw glimpses in the couple’s Netflix documentary. Pictured: Meghan with Lilibet as a newborn
Among the gifts were apparently a pastel pink VW Beetle ride-on car, £75 from Selfridges, while Sussex supporters donated $100,000 to charity in her honour.
Charles may have bought her a swing similar to one he bought for Prince George – after an aide to the Sussexes was seen unloading it from their private jet in Santa Barbara.
Photos from the event included a sweet snap of the tot sitting on the lawn outside Frogmore Cottage, smiling in the sunshine, which was taken by Misan Harriman.
Another photo from the event showed Meghan carrying Lilibet as they posed with the photographer’s wife Camilla Holmstroem, a former Goldman Sachs banker turned entrepreneur, and their two daughters, who both had their faces painted, one of the activities laid on for guests.
But while Mr Harriman also shared a picture of him smiling with his eldest child on Instagram and Twitter, there were no pictures of Harry and Archie released.
East London baker Claire Ptak – who made the couple’s wedding cake in 2018 – created new treats for the low-key bash. She later shared a picture of a small peony-covered cake that could be the one enjoyed by guests.
In another post, Claire revealed a second photo of the three-tier cake which had her name written on a flag which had been stuck into the dessert.
She revealed it was flavoured with lemon and elderflower, the same as the Sussexes’ wedding cake in 2018, but had been covered with strawberry buttercream especially for the birthday girl.
Royal expert Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine Lilibet’s second birthday might have been a star-studded affair in the US.
She said: ‘I would expect to see a sprinkling of celebrities and a laid-back party, which hopefully will include some other toddlers.
‘It would be nice to think the day might include a video call to Lilibet’s grandfather, King Charles and hopefully some sort of gift has been arranged and will be delivered to Montecito for her birthday.’
In March, the Sussexes confirmed Princess Lilibet had been christened in Montecito, California, after reports of an ‘intimate’ gathering at the Sussexes’ mansion appeared in People Magazine.
It was also confirmed that King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales were invited to the event but did not attend.
