Nothing seems to be harmonious between Prince William and his brother Harry. While speculation has been rife for months that the William and Harry are not maintaining good terms, there have been reports that Lilibet's meeting with the Queen was an effort toward mending the strained relationship between Harry and the Royals.
However, things became quite evident over the weekend, with Prince William and Kate Middleton giving Lilibet's birthday party a miss on Saturday. Although Buckingham Place gave several logistical reasons for Prince William and Kate Middleton to not attend Lilibet's party, reports are that the invitation from Harry and Meghan Markle was simply declined by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Pre-Planned
According to Page Six, amid the ongoing feud between the two brothers, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex invited William and Middleton to join them at their UK residence, Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor, on Saturday. However, they tactfully turned down the offer.
Instead, the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge decided to jet off to Wales along with two their three children --- Prince George, 8, and Princess Charlotte, 7. Although Buckingham Palace said that William and Middleton had to go to Wales as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which was planned long back, reports are now emerging that the Cambridges were in no mood to attend Lilibet's birthday party.
To put it simple, William and Kate didn't snub Meghan Markle and Harry. In fact, the Sussexes also left without spending any alone time with William, Kate, and their three children. So much so that the Sussexes' children Archie, 3, and Lili, missed out on meeting their cousins.
"Things are still fraught — William is still wary of spending any time alone with Harry as you never quite know what may be reported back afterwards," an insider told Page Six.
The Sussexes quietly left the UK on Sunday — before the People's Pageant kicked off — and flew home to California.
Moreover, the entire thing was well choreographed to avoid the two families being pictured together. Harry reportedly looked "angry, anxious and very uncomfortable" at times during his UK visit, according to Daily Mail.
"I think Palace officials were unusually skilful in managing the Sussexes. Just enough exposure to please the Queen but at the same time so limited to show them that they have been sidelined," Investigative journalist Tom Bower told the publication.
Tumultuous Relationship
Understandably, the relationship between the two brothers is still strained although the Palace denies that. They, instead, have been trying to cite logistical problems as the reason behind the two brothers not meeting each other.
"It's simply a coincidence they fell on the same day," a source told Entertainment Online. "There was no intended slight."
According to Page Six, this was always planned and is in no way a snub to the Queen, who made one final and deeply emotional appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Sunday to round off the celebrations.
However, William and Kate, like the rest of the royal family, wished Lilibet a happy birthday on Instagram. "Wishing Lilibet a very Happy 1st Birthday!" the royals' Twitter account wrote alongside a balloon emoji.
Lili met her great-grandmother twice during her tour to the United Kingdom, and her grandfather Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also left a message. The Sussexes, who attended two of the Jubilee events, did throw a celebration at home for Lili's birthday, with family dropping in and out.
An "informal garden party" was reportedly held at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor on Saturday by Prince Harry and Meghan, with guests including Zara and Mike Tindall, their children and Archie's godfather Charlie Van Straubenzee. "It was a lovely do and had everything you'd expect from a child's birthday party," a source told The Sun.
