While Princess Lilibet celebrated her third birthday last weekend with pals like Daisy Dove (that’s Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom’s daughter, in case you need a refresher), it appears that her grandfather, King Charles, sent along well-wishes and a gift, even though the royal family didn’t post anything to commemorate Lilibet’s big day.
That detail shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the royals haven’t publicly posted birthday messages for non-working royals, but Charles’s keeping a special present for a moment that may never happen is a little more unexpected.
King Charles had no intention of completely ignoring Lilibet’s birthday, so he has sent a gift, along with a message,” Tom Quinn, royal expert and author of Gilded Youth: A History of Growing Up In the Royal Family: From the Plantagenets to the Cambridges, told The Mirror
But he adds that there is a caveat to the king’s generosity. Apparently, while he did send a gift, he has another waiting in the wings for when the royal family makes amends with Lilibet’s father, Prince Harry. Royal fans and even the most fairweather royal followers know that at the moment, Harry and his family aren’t on the best terms and his relationship with both his father and his brother is tense, to say the very least.
“[Charles] gave Prince George a beautiful handmade wooden swing with George’s name carved on it, and he has plans to give something similar to Lilibet, but not this year,” Quinn added. “And not unless and until the family feud dies down.”
Quinn also spoke about what may have happened at the birthday bash, nothing that there was a veto on big-ticket presents and a very A-list roster of guests. Ever since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, moved to Montecito, California, they’ve counted Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey as neighbors in addition to Perry and Bloom.
Rather than go for a low-key celebration, Harry and Meghan have spent the past weekend enjoying a pre-birthday bash for their daughter Lilibet’s third birthday,” Quinn said previously. “Hugely expensive presents have been ruled out, but the couple’s mansion in California was awash with celebrities including Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom and their daughter, Daisy, who is just a few months older than Lilibet.”
Sources close to the even told Quinn that he didn’t invite any royals, adding another layer of conflict to the icy family situation.
“Shockingly, no invitations to Lilibet’s party were issued to members of the royal family,” Quinn shared. “One of Harry’s old Army friends said ‘Harry knew they wouldn’t come, anyway, and he was pretty sure he would not have wanted them there. But he is really sad that [Prince] Archie and Lilibet cannot have any kind of relationship with their cousins while his feud with his family continues.’”
