It’s Official: Prince Harry and Meghan Will Bring Archie and Lili to the Platinum Jubilee Next Month
It will mark Lili’s first trip to the U.K.—and she will celebrate her first birthday during the visit!
The proverbial Platinum Jubilee RSVP card has arrived from the Sussexes—and it’s a yes!
A spokesperson for the couple has confirmed that not only will the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Platinum Jubilee in the U.K. next month, but they will bring children Archie, who just turned three yesterday, and Lili, who will turn one on June 4, right in the middle of the celebrations. Could we possibly see a photo op of Lili with her namesake, the Queen, for her first birthday? (Lilibet was a childhood nickname of Her Majesty’s, and one her late husband Prince Philip fondly called her even into adulthood.)
“Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are excited and honored to attend The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children,” a spokesperson for the Sussexes said.
The news of the family’s attendance came shortly after the Queen announced that only working members of the royal family will appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour, the monarch’s annual public birthday celebration. That means no Sussexes, and no Prince Andrew or his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
“After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen,” Buckingham Palace said through a spokesperson.
So, who makes the cut? Her Majesty, obviously; Prince Charles and Camilla; the five Cambridges; Princess Anne and likely her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence; Prince Edward, Sophie, and likely their two children; and the Queen’s cousins the Duke of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Alexandra.
Trooping the Colour and the birthday parade on June 2 kicks off a long weekend of celebrations for Her Majesty, concluding with a special parade through central London on Sunday, June 5. PEOPLE surmised that, though we won’t see the Sussexes on the Buckingham Palace balcony, we could see them at another event, like the Service of Thanksgiving, held the next day on June 3.
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“Traditionally, members of the extended family have attended the Thanksgiving Service at the Jubilees—most recently of 10 and 20 years ago,” the outlet reported.
Since their departure as working members of the royal family in January 2020, Prince Harry has returned to the U.K. three times and Meghan once; though he was born in the U.K., Archie has not returned since the step back, and Lili has never been to her father’s home country.
Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.