Queen Elizabeth Likely to Meet Lilibet For the First Time on Great-Granddaughter's 1st Birthday, Source Says

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter Lilibet is set to meet her namesake! This week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will make their first return to the U.K. -- with their two children, Archie, 3, and 11-month-old Lilibet -- in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.  

The Sussex’s return will fall on the week of Lilibet’s first birthday, freeing up the opportunity for the queen to meet her great-granddaughter for the first time. A source tells ET that the 96-year-old monarch will not attend the Epsom Derby on Saturday, which leaves time for her to meet her great-granddaughter. 

“The Queen is not likely to attend the Epsom Derby which falls on Lilibet's first birthday, June 4, which will free her up to meet her great-granddaughter for the first time,” the source says. 

“Queen Elizabeth, who has been experiencing episodic mobility problems, has been spending the past weekend at Balmoral to rest ahead of the Platinum Jubilee festivities. The decision to miss the Derby is due to the Queen pacing herself,” the source adds. 

Prince William and Kate Middleton will not be available to meet Meghan and Harry’s baby girl, as they will be in Wales on Saturday, at an engagement at Cardiff Castle.  

Meghan, 40, and Harry, 37, welcomed their daughter in 2021, almost a year after they stepped down from their positions as senior royals and moved to Santa Barbara, California. Harry and Meghan honored the duke’s grandmother and mother by naming their daughter Lilibet Diana.  

The family’s return for the four-day Platinum Jubilee celebrations will mark the first time they have visited since stepping down as senior royals in 2020. Harry made two solo trips since, for an engagement honoring his late mother in 2021, and his grandfather, Prince Philip’s funeral service in 2021. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had a meeting with the queen in April, ahead of the Invictus Games. 

A source close to the pair told ET that ahead of the visit, Harry and Meghan quietly renewed their lease at Frogmore Cottage. The couple will stay at the home -- where they briefly lived after their wedding -- while they are in town for the celebrations. 

In honor of the queen's 70 years of service, four days of events have been planned for June, beginning on June 2 with a birthday parade and the royal family's traditional balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace during the annual Trooping the Colour event.

Since they are no longer senior royals, it is unclear at what capacity Harry, Meghan and their two children will appear in during the celebrations.  

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