Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, decided to have a low-key yet special birthday party for their second child.
The couple’s daughter, Lilibet Diana, celebrated her 1st birthday on June 4th.
According to a reliable source who spoke to The Sun, Markle and her husband opted for an elegant yet relaxed garden party for their little girl.
The gathering for Lilibet’s special day took place at their Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage — a short drive from Queen Elizabeth II‘s castle apartments.
The insider revealed that Prince Harry and his spouse had an open invitation to the entire family — hinting that they might have been hoping that Prince William and Kate Middleton and their three children would drop by.
Prince William and Kate Middleton did not attend due to prior engagements — the royal couple headed to Cardiff Castle in Wales as part of the festivities for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The royal couple was accompanied by two of their children, Prince George, 8, and Princess Charlotte, 7.
Prince William and Kate Middleton and their family later attended the big concert in Her Majesty‘s honor and never made it to their niece’s party.
According to a person familiar with the situation, the former American actress and the British prince had a sweet “informal garden party with picnic-style snacks, a birthday cake, balloons, and party games.”
Lilibet had a lovely time with her older brother, Archie, and royal second cousins — Zara and Mike Tindall‘s children; Mia, eight, Lena, three, and Lucas, one.
Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly‘s daughters — Savannah, 11, and Isla, ten, also made it to the festivities.
Archie’s godfather, Charlie Van Straubenzee, and his brother Tom, Princess Charlotte’s godfather, were guests at the birthday party.
The source said that Lilibet had the opportunity to meet many members of the royal family.
This insider continued: “It was a lovely do and had everything you’d expect from a child’s birthday party. But there was no formal entertainment. The idea was for it to be very relaxed and casual, with people free to pop in and out as they wished. It was a nice opportunity for the other royal children to meet Lilibet for the first time.”
Prior to the birthday party with the royal guests, Prince Harry and Markle had many cute and important discussions about the proper and perfect gift.
The person in the know concluded: “And as her first birthday is such a milestone, there were lots of discussions ahead of time about the presents that she would be given on the day. One idea that proved very popular was a £75 pink Volkswagen Beetle ride-on toy, which had been spotted in Selfridges.”
The Sun has also revealed Lilibet had finally met her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, on the eve of her first birthday.
Lilibet received warm birthday messages from the entire royal family via social media.
Fans are hoping that a picture of Lilibet and the Queen will be released to the public.
