Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s daughter, Princess Lilibet, turned 2 on Sunday, and the U.S.-based family celebrated with an “all-American affair” in Calirfornia, per reports. However, one part of the royal family apparently were not partaking in any festivities.
Unlike last year, the working royals—King Charles, Queen Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales—neglected to share any well-wishes for Lilibet on social media, with many seeing the radio silence as a “snub.”
Princess Lilibet Turns Two; Royal Family Says Nothing
All of the Royal Family's social media channels were silent on the occasion of Lilibet's 2nd birthday on Sunday, despite Queen Elizabeth wishing Lilibet a happy 1st birthday in 2022 on her official social media account just months before her passing in September of last year at age 96.
Other royals also posted for the royal birthday in 2022, including now-King Charles, Prince William, and William's wife, Kate Middleton. This year, not a single working royal shared their well-wishes for the littlest Windsor.
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"What’s wrong with these people! How awful to treat one of your grandchildren like that," wrote one commenter on Page Six's Instagram post about the snub. "Family is Family. Treat each other with respect and screw the Royal Procedures. SMH!" agreed another.
However, others were not so upset with the royals, unsurprisingly: "Did her parents say anything publicly???? No? Huh. Wonder who’s spinning this story to trash RF yet again," griped one Instagram commenter. Another added, "Just because it didn’t happen publicly - does not mean it didn’t happen. No family - Royal or otherwise - is required to issue press releases or tweets to celebrate normal human events like birthdays."
Buckingham Palace—or at least, an "official royal source"—has since commented on the lack of acknowledgement, saying it's "never been protocol" to share formal birthday wishes for non-working members of the royal family or their children on "official channels," according to the Daily Beast. However, this goes against the precedent established by the Queen herself just last year, leading many to believe this choice stems from the tensions within the family since Harry and Meghan left the U.K. and the Prince published his controversial memoir, Spare.
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Lilibet Fêted With "All-American" Birthday Celebration In CA
Despite the rest of the family ignoring little Lilibet's birthday, Harry and Meghan apparently both worked hard to make it a special occasion for the tot. Royal expert Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine UK ahead of the festivities, "I would expect to see a sprinkling of celebrities and a laid-back party, which hopefully will include some other toddlers."
It was reported that King Charles was apparently having aides look at "custom-made cubby houses" for the toddler, similar to what Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret played in as children. The source told New Idea, "He wants to give Lili something she will use and be hers."
No news yet on the exact details of the party, nor if any gifts were sent to the little girl from her family across the pond—or if they even called to wish her happy birthday on the big day.
Prince Harry notably rushed home from father Charles' coronation as king on May 6th to attend Prince Archie's 4th birthday, which happened to coincide with the noteworthy occasion.
