How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrated Lilibet’s birthday

Princess Lilibet is just one sleep away from becoming the big 3. Before her special day, the young royal started the party a little early. Over the weekend, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry hosted a celebration for the toddler at their home in Montecito, California, according to People. The presumably exclusive guest list includes family members, close friends of Meghan and Harry, as well as a few of Lilibet’s own friends.

Last year, the royal, born June 4, 2021, celebrated her birthday in the Golden State surrounded by her family. Harry even arranged plans to be in town for his festivities before flying to the UK to appear in court as part of his trial against the British tabloids. In 2022, the family celebrated Lilibet’s first birthday with a picnic in England as they crossed the pond for Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee. The couple posted an adorable portrait of their daughter, taken by their photographer and longtime friend Misan Harriman, in which she wore a blue dress and bow-adorned headband in a grassy field.

During their recent trip to Nigeria, Markle opened up about parenting their two children. Archie and Lilibet, and shared Lilibet’s sweetest story during their visit to a school in Abuja.

“Our daughter, Lili, is a lot smaller than you guys,” Markle told the group of kids. “She’s about to turn 3. And a few weeks ago, she looked at me, and she just saw the reflection in my eyes. And she said, ‘Mom, I see myself in you.’

She added that while her daughter was most likely expressing the sentiment literally, it struck a chord with her.

“Oh, now she was really speaking literally. But I held on to those words in a very different way,” she continued. “And I thought, yes, I see myself in you, and you see me… As I look around this room, I see myself in each of you too.