The Queen Has a Rare Photo of Meghan and Harry on Display at Buckingham Palace

The Queen has a rare photo of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, never officially released to the public, framed and on display at Buckingham Palace.

london, england june 23 queen elizabeth ii greets prime minister boris johnson during the first in person weekly audience with the prime minister since the start of the coronavirus pandemic at buckingham palace on june 23, 2021 in london, england photo by dominic lipinski wpa poolgetty images
(Image credit: WPA Pool)

The Queen held an audience with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday, as the Guardian reports, their first in-person meeting since lockdown measures were first put in place amid COVID-19 pandemic. The monarch spoke with the Prime Minister at Buckingham Palace—where, on a side table in the background, a framed photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was visible. The snap looked a lot like a rare shot from their 2017 engagement photoshoot; while it was never officially released to the public, Sussexes fans first spotted it in the background when Prince Harry met with Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli at Kensington Palace in 2019.

In the sweet snap, Harry has his arm around Meghan's waist, while she rests her hand on his chest. Meghan wears a gorgeous pale blue dress, while Harry wears a blue suit, white shirt, and blue tie. At Buckingham Palace, the Queen displayed the photo in a silver frame, alongside a snap from Kate Middleton and Prince William's photoshoot, the Queen's official 90th birthday portrait with Prince Charles, and other family photos.

Take a closer look at the photo below:

queen meghan harry photo

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex named their second child, Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, after the Queen, as well as Lili's late grandmother, Princess Diana. "Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet," the Sussexes said in a statement. "Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales."

And yes, the Sussexes did consult the Queen before using her family nickname, despite media claims to the contrary. "The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement—in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called," a spokesperson for the couple confirmed. "During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name."

What's more, Meghan and Harry introduced Lili to her namesake as soon as they arrived home from the hospital. An insider told People that the new parents of two "were very excited and couldn't wait to share that their daughter arrived." Adorable! 

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Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.