The Queen will meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s daughter Lilibet for the first time at the soon-to-be one-year-old’s birthday party during Jubilee celebrations.
The 96-year-old monarch, who Lilibet is named after, is likely to miss her favourite sporting event, the Derby horse races at Epsom, for the little one’s birthday.
Since she was born on 4 June 2021, parents Prince Harry and Meghan have only been to the UK once, in a fleeting visit where they made a detour to see Her Majesty while on their way to the Invictus Games in The Hague in April.
Her first birthday is set to be celebrated at Frogmore Cottage next Saturday, just a stone’s throw away from Windsor Castle. Princess Eugenie and her family have vacated the Cottage ahead of their arrival.
In their first trip to the UK with Archie and Lilibet, Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, are going to stay at the property during their four-day trip over to the UK for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Baby Lilibet, was born in California unlike her brother Archie, three, who was born at London’s Portland Hospital, a Royal favourite. The Queen met Archie two days after he was born on 6 May 2019.
The Queen will meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s daughter Lilibet, pictured right, for the first time at the soon-to-be one-year-old’s birthday party during Jubilee celebrations next weekend. Archie is pictured left with Prince Harry
The 96-year-old monarch, who Lilibet is named after, is likely to miss her favourite sporting event, the Derby horse races at Epsom, for the little one’s birthday. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh pictured meeting their great grandson, Archie, two days after he was born on 6 May 2019
The birthday party comes in good timing as sources revealed to The Sun, that is becoming ‘increasingly unlikely’ that the Queen will be able to travel to Epsom, Surrey, for the horseracing Derby as all three of her precious horses have pulled out of the race.
This will be the third time in the Queen’s reign that she will miss the Epsom Derby, with the first when she was on a state visit to Sweden in 1956 and another when she was in France for the 40th anniversary of D-Day in 1984.
Anne, Princess Royal will be standing in for Her Majesty and representing the royal family on her behalf.
Aides are said to be making ‘every effort’ to manage the monarch’s diary to not tire her, and the cancellation is another attempt to help the Queen ‘pace herself’.
Palace sources told The Sun that efforts were made to ‘ensure she could get to the royal box on the big day’ but this is being called off, they said.
For the past six months, the Queen has been suffering from mobility issues and has used a walking stick.
However the monarch has stated that she will make a double balcony appearance during celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee this week.
Her Majesty will step onto Buckingham Palace’s balcony on Thursday, during the official birthday parade, marking the start of the four-day celebrations.
‘The Queen is determined to take part in the Jubilee celebrations,’ a royal source told the Mirror.
They said that the monarch ‘very much wants to be a part of’ Trooping the Colour, which was brought forward by a eek so that it could be incorporated into the celebrations.
The Queen is also aiming to attend Friday’s Thanksgiving Service at St Paul’s Cathedral.
In March, she had a £62,000 golf buggy delivered to help, complete with hi-tech specs including a fridge and entertainment screen.
The 96-year-old monarch received the four-seater vehicle two weeks ago and has had a quick tour around the Windsor Castle grounds alongside her beloved corgis.
She has also had a lift installed at Balmoral Castle.
Built by Garia, a Danish manufacturer of premium ‘golf cars’, as part of a ‘tie-up’ with Mercedes-Benz, the speedy battery-fuelled four-wheeler has a range of 50 miles before it needs recharging.
Considered the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of the golf cart world, the Queen is thought to have the ‘Monaco’ model from…
Read More: Queen is set to meet Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet for the first time