Meghan Markle marked Princess Lilibet’s fifth birthday on Wednesday by sharing a new photo of her daughter on Instagram, giving followers a fresh look at the child known as Lili. In the image, Prince Harry held Lilibet in his arms while Meghan stood beside him with her arm around his shoulder.
Markle wrote, “Our dream girl. Happy 5th birthday, Lili,” followed by a white heart emoji. She also posted a second photo showing Lilibet barefoot on the grass in the sunshine, wearing a summer dress and reaching for the flowers of a blue-purple agapanthus.
The birthday post is likely to draw the most attention because the Sussexes’ daughter is rarely seen publicly, and the new images offer one of the clearest recent looks at the family. Lilibet was born in the US on 4 June 2021 and was named Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
There is also a small but telling detail behind the royal styling. Lilibet became entitled to be a princess only when Charles acceded to the throne, under rules set out by King George V in 1917. Harry and Meghan began using prince and princess for Archie and Lili only after Lilibet’s christening in 2023, a change that made the birthday tribute land with added resonance.
The post comes at a time when Harry’s own family ties remain strained. Meghan was last in the UK in September 2022, when the couple attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, and the duchess has not been publicly back since. With Harry said to have seen his father only twice in two years and Archie and Lilibet last seeing their grandfather more than four years ago, the question now is whether the family will be brought together for any time at Sandringham this summer.
