Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the duke and duchess of Sussex, are reportedly set to introduce Queen Elizabeth II to her 11th great-grandchild, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, in person during the queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which also coincides with Lilibet’s first birthday.
Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife, Camilla, are also expected to meet Lilibet for the first time in person and see 3-year-old great-grandson Archie for the first time since he was a baby. Although members of the royal family have not met Lilibet in person, the queen has seen her during video calls, according to the Daily Mail.
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The couple and their children are scheduled to stay at their Windsor residence of Frogmore Cottage during the four-day celebration and will attend the Royal Trooping of the Color on Thursday. Harry and Meghan are also expected to attend the Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Friday without the children.
“The duke and duchess are excited and honored to attend the Jubilee celebrations,” a spokesman for the couple told the Mirror.
The Sussexes are also expected to meet with other members of the royal family privately during their trip. However, it is not clear whether Harry will see his brother, Prince William, and his family privately.
Although Harry has seen his grandmother several times since moving to the United States in 2020 after stepping back from his royal duties, the weekend’s festivities will be the second time Meghan has returned to England since the move. The couple visited the monarch earlier this year before attending the Invictus Games in the Netherlands.
The 96-year-old monarch, who has been experiencing episodic mobility problems since last autumn, will attend a limited amount of events during the holiday weekend. The most recent change to the monarch’s schedule includes Elizabeth watching the Epsom Derby on the television rather than attending the race in person. She will reportedly miss the race to celebrate Lilibet’s birthday on Saturday. Lilibet is named after the queen’s childhood nickname.
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Prior to her absence at the derby this year, the queen has only missed the race two other times, once for a state visit to Sweden in 1956 and once for the 40th anniversary of D-Day in France. Additionally, the queen will not receive the Trooping of the Color royal salute. However, she will step out onto the balcony to see the public afterward with the working members of the royal family.
The Jubilee, which celebrates Elizabeth’s 70-year reign, is expected to bring in three billion pounds and will be celebrated nationwide with an estimated 16,000 street parties, according to the Daily Mail.
