The Sussexes were keen to bring a photographer to the Queen and Lilibet’s first face-to-face meeting but the request was denied, according to reports, breaking a longstanding tradition
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry being banned from having a photographer take pictures of the Queen with their daughter was a “bitter pill to swallow”, a royal expert has claimed.
The apparent incident came as Lilibet is believed to have been introduced to her great-grandmother for the first time during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on June 2, 2022.
The Sussexes were apparently keen to bring a photographer to the pair’s first face-to-face meeting at Windsor Castle.
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However, the request was denied, The Sun reported at the time. Royal biographer Christopher Andersen later described the photo ban as a “bitter pill to swallow”. He recalled how the couple’s son Archie was pictured with the Queen at two days old back in 2019.
Mr Andersen, who wrote ‘Brothers and Wives’ – a book detailing Prince Harry and William’s relationship – told Royally US: “We now know that the Queen, well, the men in grey who really handle things, would not permit the Queen’s photograph to be taken with Lilibet. That spoke volumes, it was a really bitter pill for Meghan and Harry to swallow. You have to remember, Archie was photographed with the Queen, and Prince Philip, and Doria Ragland when he was two days old.”
He continued: “It’s a tradition to be photographed with the monarch when you’re a grandchild or a great-grandchild. But this was a really different feeling.”
Harry and Meghan returned to California without a snap, with members of the Royal Family reportedly concerned that pictures of the Queen and Lilibet taken by the couple’s photographer could be shared with US television networks.
To celebrate her third birthday at the weekend, Meghan and Harry are is said to have thrown an intimate party at their Montecito home for their youngest child. It’s believed the guestlist was kept small, with no members of the Royal Family present. While the Royal Family didn’t attend the party, several of Meghan and Harry’s close friends and family were in attendance, while there was also a number of Lilibet’s friends there too, according to People.
A version of this story was first published on June 13, 2022.
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