Prince William and wife Kate Middleton are likely to miss niece Lillibet's first birthday party this Saturday while Harry and Meghan Markle meet the Queen to celebrate their daughter's first birthday. According to reports, William and Kate will be hundreds of miles away in Cardiff as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will meet singers and crew members participating in a unique Platinum Jubilee Celebration Concert taking place within the grounds of Cardiff Castle. Thus, the Lillibet's birthday celebrations will be attended only by the Queen in the presence of Harry and Meghan.
Giving It a Miss
According to the Daily Mail, William and Kate won't be present at Lillibet's first birthday celebrations when she will also meet the Queen for the first time. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will instead be attending a Platinum Jubilee Celebration Concert at Cardiff.
While they are there, William and Kate will meet singers and crew members participating in a special concert at Cardiff Castle. Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II, who is marking her 70th year as monarch of the United Kingdom, is expected to meet her namesake great-granddaughter at a birthday celebration at Frogmore Cottage, where Harry and Meghan will be staying during their visit.
The Queen will likely miss her favorite sporting event -- the Derby horse races at Epsom-- to attend Lilibet's first birthday. However, rather than being motivated by a desire to meet her great-granddaughter, the choice to miss the event is stated to be motivated by a wish to pace herself after having episodic mobility problems, the outlet reported.
The Queen plans to attend St Paul's Cathedral's Thanksgiving Service on Friday, where the entire royal family will be present, including Meghan and Harry. In addition, Prince Andrew will be present.
Big Day for Little Lillibet
The wasted opportunity for some sibling bonding between William, 39, and Harry, 37, comes amid reports that the two brothers have been arranging weekly zoom mend to try to end their strained relationship.
William and Kate will however be busy at the concert. The couple will view rehearsals and meet some of the acts taking part in the celebrations, including Bonnie Tyler and Owain Wynn Evans.
On June 4, Markle and Harry's daughter turns one. Lilibet will be visiting the UK for the first time since her parents left the royal family in January 2020 and relocated to California. The pair has only visited the United Kingdom once since their unexpected announcement, in April, on their way to the Invictus Games in The Hague, Netherlands.
In April 2021, Prince Harry returned home without Markle to attend the death of his grandpa, Prince Philip. In July 2021, he took a solo trip home to London to help unveil a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana, at Kensington Palace.
Her first birthday will be celebrated at Frogmore Cottage, a short distance from Windsor Castle, on Saturday. Princess Eugenie and her family have left the Cottage in preparation for their visit. During their four-day journey to the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, will stay at the residence for the first time with Archie and Lilibet.
Baby Lilibet was born in California, unlike her three-year-old brother Archie, who was born in the Royal favorite Portland Hospital in London. Archie was introduced to the Queen two days after his birth, on May 6, 2019.
It is unclear how the family will celebrate Lilibet's birthday after a source told The Sun, "Harry and Meghan will want to celebrate Lilibet's birthday somehow with their family. But diaries are full on Saturday. There isn't much wriggle room to fit in a birthday party for a 1-year-old.
"These events have been planned far in advance and the Sussexes have not exactly made their plans clear or public."
