Rugby over Family! William and Kate 'snub' Lilibet’s christening despite Meghan and Harry’s invite
MONTECITO, CALIFORNIA: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle christened their daughter, Princess Lilibet, on March 3, and had reportedly extended an invitation to members of the royal family, who failed to attend the religious ceremony. The Duke and Duchess organized the intimate gathering near their home in Montecito, California.
The former royal couple had invited Harry's immediate family, including King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, but they did not attend the ceremony, a source told the People. They noted that the gathering was only attended by 20-30 guests, inxluding Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, Lilibet's godfather, Tyler Perry, and an unnamed godmother. “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3, by the bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor,” a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said.
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Why royal family didn’t attend?
Following the holy ceremony, a bulletin published on the royal family's website showed a busy schedule of public duties from the week of February 25 to March 3, which may be a scathing refutation of the claim that they "snubbed" the Montecito baptism, as per Daily Mail. The list showed a slew of public appearances made by royal family members, including how the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the Six Nations Rugby Match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff.
Later, royal author Phil Dampier reflected on claims that the Sussex’s invited the royal family and said, "Harry and Meghan can try and claim the moral high ground by letting it be known that they invited the King, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales to the christening but they are just playing games. They know there wasn’t a hope in hell of any of them going. If they genuinely wanted to build bridges and start a healing process why didn’t they come over with their children a couple of weeks before the Coronation and have the christening then?"
What are Archie and Lillibet’s titles?
This came after Harry and Meghan’s children Archie and Lilibet received their formal royal titles. The couple wants their children to be recognized as heirs to the crown, which King Charles now formally honors. The siblings were given the titles of prince and princess after their grandfather ascended the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, according to rules established by King George V in 1917. "The children's titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace," a spokesperson for the Sussexes said, according to People.
