The Queen met her great-granddaughter for the first time over the Platinum Jubilee weekend, when the Royal family were also celebrating 70 years of her reign.

The Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 was a momentous occasion, marking 70 years of the late Queen Elizabeth’s reign. However, it wasn’t just the jubilee that made the weekend special for Britain’s longest-serving monarch.

It was also the first time she met Princess Lilibet – Harry and Meghan’s daughter. Lilibet, named after the Queen’s family nickname, celebrated her first birthday on the same jubilee weekend.

Her parents hosted an informal garden party complete with face painting at Frogmore Cottage, their former UK residence in Windsor Great Park. Yet, there was one aspect of the celebratory weekend that reportedly didn’t go as Harry and Meghan had hoped.

The couple had requested a private photographer to capture the moment when the Queen met Lilibet for the first time. However, this request was denied, according to an anonymous “insider”, reports the Mirror.

“Harry and Meghan wanted their photographer to capture the moment Lilibet met the Queen. But they were told no chance. It was a private family meeting,” an anonymous ‘insider’ was quoted by the newspaper.

Moreover, The Sun divulged that the Royal couple’s request was rebuffed due to concerns that “there were fears any photos of the Queen and Lilibet taken by the couple’s photographer would be shared by them with US telly networks.”

In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry reminisced about a meeting between his kids and his adored grandmother after her demise. He penned: “Archie making his deep bows, his baby sister Lilibet cuddling the monarch’s shins. Sweetest children, Granny said, sounding bemused. She’d expected them to be a bit more … American, I think? Meaning in her mind, more rambunctious.”

Beyond this anecdote, very few details have been revealed by Harry and Meghan regarding their infant daughter’s first encounter with her late namesake. However, recent reports are citing a letter from the Queen’s private secretary following the Sussex’s exit from their Royal duties.

 

The document came into focus amid a summary judgment for a defamation lawsuit Harry has initiated against the Daily Mail publishers – Associated News Limited (ANL). Public excerpts from this letter highlight the Queen’s firm belief that security measures for Harry’s family should continue unabated despite their resignation as working royals.

The Queen’s private secretary penned a letter to the government, stating: “You will understand well that ensuring that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain safe is of paramount importance to Her Majesty and her family,”

He further highlighted the couple’s high-profile status due to their Royal lineage, military service, and history of being targeted by extremists, insisting on the necessity of effective security. Regardless of whether the Queen denied the Sussexes’ request to bring a photographer to her meeting with Lilibet, it’s clear that the safety of their family was a top concern for the late monarch.