Meghan reveals most intimate glimpse yet of Lilibet in adorable birthday tribute

Meghan Markle has paid a sweet tribute to Princess Lilbet as she turned four today. 

Taking to Instagram, the Duchess of Sussex wished her daughter, who is named after the late queen, a happy birthday.

Lilibet is the youngest daughter of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and was born in Santa Barbara after the couple quit royal life and moved to California.

Two snaps shared on social media showed the mother-of-two huddling her little girl on what appears to be a recent boat trip, as well as a tender snap of her holding her baby as a newborn.

Both black and white and understood to be previously unseen, the pictures offer an intimate glimpse into the Sussexes’ family life.

The first image shows a smiling Meghan, looking relaxed in a loose linen shirt, embracing her daughter in her arms, both their tresses blowing in the wind.

In the second, a tiny Lilibet can be seen with her eyes closed as the Duchess cuddles her close. 

‘Happy birthday to our beautiful girl!’ she penned in a heartfelt caption.

The Duchess of Sussex has shared a previously unseen photo of Lilibet Diana to celebrate her daughter’s fourth birthday

‘Four years ago today she came into our lives – and each day is brighter and better because of it. Thanks to all of those sending love and celebrating her special day!’

The pair also share Prince Archie, six, who was born at the Portland Hospital in London while the pair were working royals.

The sweet message comes just a day after the  Duchess of Sussex revealed she is considering going into business with  Lilibet in the future.  

Meghan spoke during her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder about ‘building something’ with her youngest child, who is seventh in line to the throne and turns four tomorrow.

She made the comment while interviewing 71-year-old fashion designer Tina Knowles, who launched the haircare line Cécred with her daughter Beyoncé last year.

Meghan said in the podcast: ‘I wonder if one day I’ll be in business with Lili and we’ll be building something.’ Knowles added: ‘Yeah, that’s the best.’

Taking to Instagram, the Duchess of Sussex wished her daughter, who is named after the late queen, a happy birthday

In the second, a tiny Lilibet can be seen with her eyes closed as the Duchess cuddles her close. ‘Happy birthday to our beautiful girl!’ she penned in a heartfelt caption

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their son Archie and daughter Lilibet in December 2021

Lilibet is the youngest daughter of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and was born in Santa Barbara after the couple quit royal life and moved to California 

Meghan and Harry saw Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour at SoFi Stadium in California on May 9 

Last week, Meghan shared a video of her and daughter Lilibet harvesting honey in matching beekeeping suits. 

The Duchess of Sussex took to Instagram on Tuesday to post the extended video set to The Archies’ hit Sugar, Sugar in a sweet nod to her son, Archie, six. 

Her caption read: ‘Look at all of that fresh honeycomb!

‘Harvesting honey with my little honey. (Like mother, like daughter; she’s even wearing my gloves)’ 

Like her last post, the clip began with Meghan and Lilibet walking hand-in-hand towards a beehive while wearing appropriate safety suits. 

It then cuts to Meghan cutting out a slice of honeycomb before storing it in a glass jar and pouring the freshly-harvested honey over it – not unlike the bottles of wildflower honey sold by her brand As Ever. 

The original video included a rare glimpse of Lilibet’s face after she could be seen turning towards her mother.  

The pair wore matching outfits in a vast field, but Lilibet accessorised with a pair of adorable rainbow wellies.

Meghan Markle has shared the full video of her and daughter Lilibet harvesting honey in matching beekeeping suits – after teasing the clip earlier this weekend

The longer version includes footage of Meghan. 43, cutting out a slice of honeycomb before storing it in a glass jar

They held hands and were filmed from the back walking towards the hive, before Meghan, 43, bent down and rubbed her daughter on the back. 

Meghan posted the video just days after her seven-year wedding anniversary with Prince Harry.

She marked it by posting an image of a cork board covered in photographs of her, Prince Harry and their children.

However, royal fans noticed that Meghan left out a crucial detail about the milestone in her caption for the post.

The Duchess wrote: ‘Seven years of marriage. A lifetime of stories.

‘Thanks to all of you (whether by our side or from afar) who have loved and supported us throughout our love story – we appreciate you.

‘Happy anniversary!’

Fans noticed the former Suits star failed to name Harry in the post.

Despite the post containing numerous photos of Meghan and Harry together, critics took to X, formerly Twitter, to discuss Meghan’s caption.

Meghan and Lilibet walking towards the beehive 

The pair wore matching outfits in a vast field, but Lilibet accessorised with a pair of adorable rainbow wellies

Meghan Markle said that Lilibet (pictured in 2022) ‘has found her voice and we are so proud of that’ in the speech the Duchess also used to pay tribute to her mother.

The Sussexes, who stepped down as senior members of the British royal family in 2020, have strained relationships on both sides of the family, between Harry’s estrangement from his brother and father and Meghan not on speaking terms with her father Thomas. 

Instead, the couple have surrounded their young children with a ‘chosen’ Californian family to dote on them in their Montecito mansion. 

Thousands of miles away from their aunt and uncle, the Prince and Princess of Wales – and grandfather King Charles – Archie and Lili are now growing up with a series of ‘surrogate’ relatives after their parents rejected the royals.

Archie and Lilibet also have no relationship with any of the women on Meghan’s side who could be called their aunts. Meghan has one half-sister, Samantha Markle, through her father Thomas Markle Snr’s side – but has cut off ties with both of them.

The Duchess’s half-brother Thomas Markle Jnr has been married twice, but Meghan has also had no relationship with him since well before she wed Prince Harry in 2018.

But it’s not only the couple’s young children who have forged a second family abroad – Prince Harry himself is said to have grown close both to a ‘second father’ in the form of David Foster and ‘second mother’ after his move to the US. 

Harry has also formed a close relationship with Doria Ragland – with a royal source revealing that the Duke of Sussex has grown incredibly close to Doria, who has been a ‘tower of strength’ for the couple over the past few years.

In August, Meghan  gushed about her daughter in a speech about ‘Afro women and power’ talk on the final day of her tour in Colombia with Prince Harry. 

She said that Lilibet ‘has found her voice and we are so proud of that’ in the speech the Duchess also used to pay tribute to her mother. 

Meghan said: ‘For me I find inspiration in so many of the strong women around me. My mother being one of them. Life is full of surprises and can be quite complex.

‘So much of how I approach things is about less of the fight and how do we wash things over with love and kindness and generosity.

‘You see something wrong and you go and fix it. As women we are multi-taskers and fixers. We all know how much representation matters.’

The Duchess also said that as her mother, she is encouraging Lilibet to not ‘sit in silence’. 

‘At three she has found her voice and we are so proud of that, because that is how we create the conditions in which there is a ripple effect of young girls and young women knowing that if someone else is encouraging them to use their voice and be heard, that’s what they are going to do,’ she added.

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