Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s daughter Princess Lilibet Diana christened in California, royal family a no-show
A source claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex extended an invite to members of the British royal family
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s daughter, Lilibet Diana, was christened in an intimate ceremony in Montecito, California, where the family resides.
The celebration for the 21-month-old was confirmed on Wednesday. She turns 2 in June.
"I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor," a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Fox News Digital in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A source told People magazine that the couple extended an invitation to King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton; however, they were not in attendance. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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On Wednesday, it was revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's daughter Lilibet Diana, who turns 2 in June, has been christened as a princess. (Mike Coppola)
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich alleged to Fox News Digital that there were about 20 to 30 guests in attendance, including Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, There was also a 10-person choir flown in from Atlanta by Tyler Perry, Lilibet’s godfather.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Under the rules set out by King George V in 1917, Archie, 3, and his younger sibling were afforded the titles of prince and princess. It was confirmed on Wednesday that the palace will update its website to reflect those titles. The children are currently listed as "Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor" and "Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor."
The announcement marked the first time that the children’s titles had been used in public.
The question of the children’s titles took center stage two years ago during the couple’s television interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. The duchess, 41, who is biracial, said that when she was pregnant with Archie "they" — presumably the palace — "were saying they didn’t want him to be a prince … which would be different from protocol."
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Tyler Perry is Lilibet Diana's godfather. (Getty Images)
Markle suggested that this was because Archie was the royal family’s "first member of color" and would have marked the first time a royal grandchild was not given the same title as the other grandchildren. At the time, royal experts said Markle's comments appeared to be based on a misunderstanding of the way royal titles are conferred.
Titles are conferred in line with a decree issued by King George V in 1917 that limits the titles of prince and princess to the male-line grandchildren of the sovereign. As long as the late Queen Elizabeth II was alive, Harry and his older brother, Prince William, were the sovereign’s grandchildren. Harry and William’s children, as great-grandchildren, did not receive the titles automatically.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, Elizabeth had the power to amend the rules, and in 2012 she decreed that the children of Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, would be princes and princesses. This decree did not apply to Markle and Harry, 38.
However, the situation changed when King Charles III ascended the throne on the death of his mother last September. William and Harry are the king’s sons, meaning their offspring are now royal grandchildren and so entitled to be known as prince and princess.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A source claimed that an invite to Lilibet Diana's celebration was extended to Prince William and Kate Middleton, among others. (Chris Jackson)
Nonetheless, they have remained a plain "master" and "miss" on the Buckingham Palace website for the past six months.
"While by some this might be viewed as an olive branch from Harry and Meghan, it remains confusing as to what they want," said Fordwich. "It’s difficult to understand why they would want to further link their children to an institution they have viewed as racist."
On Sunday, it was confirmed that the king's office had been in touch with Harry about the new monarch’s coronation, raising the possibility the prince will attend the historic ceremony despite tensions within the royal family.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If Harry and his wife were to attend the May 6 coronation at Westminster Abbey in London, it would be the first meeting between Charles and his younger son since Harry deepened the rift within the House of Windsor by revealing family secrets in his bestselling book, "Spare."
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King Charles will be crowned on May 6. It is unclear whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will attend. (Alastair Grant)
A spokesperson for the couple said that Harry had received "email correspondence" from the king’s office about the coronation. Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"An immediate decision on whether the Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time," the couple’s office said in a statement.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from royal duties in 2022. They now reside in California with Archie and Lilibet.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.