Queen Elizabeth II’s chances of meeting Lilibet is “next to zero”, a royal author has told a recent documentary.
In June, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their second child, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. Nicknamed Lili, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex named their daughter after the Queen’s own childhood nickname, Lilibet.
The nickname stemmed from the Queen not being able to pronounce her own name when she was very young. But despite being named after Her Majesty, Lilibet is yet to meet her great-grandmother.
The Duke of Sussex who along with his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and their children Archie, 2, and Lilibet, seven months, relocated to the US after stepping away from the British royal family and claims that he cannot return to the UK unless he is given police protection.
Dylan Howard, author of Royals at War, revealed in a new Channel 5 documentary “Harry & Meghan Vs the Monarchy” that it’s unlikely the Sussexes will be bringing her across the Atlantic to see Her Majesty any time soon.
The row appears to cast doubt as to whether the monarch will get to meet Lilibet and whether Harry and his family will return to Britain for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this summer.
Howard claimed: “The chances of the newborn reaching England in the foreseeable future is next to zero. One must sympathize with the Queen. That’s disheartening and heartbreaking.”
Prince Harry’s spokesperson recently said on the dispute: “Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life. He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan.”
“And in recent years, his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats. While his role within the institution has changed, his profile as a member of the Royal Family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family,” the spokesperson added.
Prince Harry is now seeking a judicial review against a decision from the Home Office which prevents him from personally funding official security for himself and his family when he visits his native country.
The Sussexes live in Montecito, California over 5,000 miles away from Windsor Castle, where the monarch now lives. Since Lili’s birth in California last year, she has not been taken to the UK to meet the rest of the Royal Family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK. In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.
Richard Kay, the royal expert, and columnist questioned how close Harry and Meghan are to the Royal Family. He told the documentary: “Increasingly, one wonders how much influence the Royal Family will even have. The royals are going to become distant relatives, I suspect.”
Harry has returned to the UK once since Lilibet was born to unveil a statue of his mother Princess Diana in the gardens of Kensington Palace.
However, Brian Hoey, a royal author, has said: “I have heard from people I know within the royal household; she really would desperately like to see the baby in this way. I think she would love to; I wonder whether it is going to happen, I would love to think it could.”
It is believed that other members of the family have met Lilibet through a video call, including the Queen. However, there is no certainty over whether Harry and Meghan will return to the UK with their children.
Her dad’s cousin, Eugenie, was recently pictured beside Prince Harry at the Super Bowl finals in the state last month, and as such is thought to be the first royal to fly to the states and meet the eight-month-old.
Later this month, the Queen and other members of the Royal Family will attend a service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip.