Little-Known Details About Princess Lilibet, Harry & Meghan's Daughter

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be public figures, but they make a point of keeping their kids firmly outside the limelight. However, every once in a while, we learn a new detail about their daughter, Princess Lilibet — and based on those little tidbits, let's just say it's safe to assume she's the apple of her parents' eyes. 

It's no secret why we don't see much of Lilibet or her brother, Prince Archie. Harry has long made it clear that having the press around him while he was growing up had a very damaging effect on him (not least because of the phone hacking scandal that began as early as his teen years). Of course, Meghan also has her own well-documented history of being bullied by the press. With that in mind, we have no doubts that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to keep their kids' lives as private as possible. 

For Lilibet, that privacy has been something she's enjoyed for most of her life. After all, unlike her older brother, she was born after her parents had stepped down from royal duties. Plus, there was no photocall in the hours after her birth in Santa Barbara. In fact, Lilibet was already 6 months old when she was seen publicly for the first time: when her parents shared their 2021 Christmas card. In the time since, only a handful of additional images have been shared of the little girl (and that's including the pics seen on Netflix's "Harry & Meghan"). What's more, although Lilibet was present in Harry and Meghan's 2024 Christmas card photo, neither her nor Archie's faces were visible. Instead, the kids were pictured from behind as they ran into their parents' arms. It's all about boundaries, folks!

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Speaking of the Christmas card showing Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet from behind, the image put the latter's gorgeous long red locks on full display. Prince Harry had actually spoken about said hair in the past. In a 2023 appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," he joked that one of the most prominent things he'd seen his kids take from his side of the family was their vibrant red hair. "The ginger gene is a strong one," he joked, pointing out that the Spencer family had a number of redheads. Even so, Harry also admitted that he had been more surprised than anyone by their hair's hue. "I actually really genuinely thought at the beginning of the relationship that, should this go the distance and we have kids, that there's no way the ginger gene will stand up to my wife's genes. But, I was wrong," he quipped. 

Hair color aside, Harry has also joked about his kids' hair not being like his in every sense of the word. Speaking of what Harry said on the matter at the 2024 WellChild Awards, Hello! magazine's Sophie Vokes-Dudgeon revealed, "Archie and Lili have been blessed with their mother's thick hair, he told us, self-effacingly." Vokes-Dudgeon also shared that he spoke specifically about how long Lilibet's hair had grown, saying he believed it was nearly long enough for her to be able to sit on it. 

Of course, it's possible the little girl has had a haircut in the time since and that it's no longer quite as long. Unfortunately, Meghan Markle's Instagram return didn't include an update on the length of Lilibet's fiery mane. 

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Princess Lilibet's hair wasn't the only thing Prince Harry discussed at the 2024 WellChild Awards. Au contraire, at the same event, he also let slip a few details about his daughter's favorite comfort toys. 

Speaking to one of the evening's awardees, a little boy named Noah Nicholson, Harry noticed the comfort toy the youngster had brought along: a giraffe blanket dubbed "Ratty." Harry immediately recognized it as one of Lilibet's favorites, too. "My daughter Lili has these lovies," he shared, noting that they were likely a favorite amongst most people with small children (via Mirror). "Every parent has about six spare," he quipped. The prince didn't share if Lili also took a particular shine to giraffes. 

As an aside, some may remember that Harry had actually met Nicholson and Ratty before. Back in 2019, prior to his stepping down as a working royal, Harry had an engagement at the Sheffield Children's Hospital. As seen in the picture above from that meeting, Harry and Nicholson tussled playfully over Ratty, with the latter looking thrilled. It's likely that's why, when he met with Harry several years later, the little boy threw the giraffe lovie for him to fetch — prompting a mock-stern response from the prince, who reminded him, "Giraffes can't fly" (via The Royal Family Channel). It's adorable to think that the duke and his daughter have just as much fun with the toy as he and Nicholson have. 

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As for what Meghan Markle has had to say about Princess Lilibet, the Duchess of Sussex has joked that her daughter has no qualms about speaking her mind. That was something she revealed in an on-stage discussion during her and Prince Harry's tour of Colombia in August 2024. 

"At 3, she has found her voice," Meghan laughed, her expression suggesting her daughter has at times given her a mouthful (via ITV). However, the "Suits" alum added that it was something she was thrilled about and that she and Harry encouraged. "We're so proud of that, because that is how we, as I was saying, create the conditions in which there's a ripple effect of young girls and young women knowing that if someone else is encouraging them to use their voice and be heard, that's what they're going to do, and they're going to create a very different environment than so many of us grew up in," she said. 

Based on Meghan's passion for the subject, we wouldn't be surprised if at some point Princess Lilibet is encouraged to speak at events like the one her mom was at. However, that will likely only happen when she is much older. What's more, we have a feeling that if Lilibet does step into a more public role, her parents will put her through a ton of training.

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Sticking with Princess Lilibet's personality and personal preferences, another detail that has slipped through the cracks about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's youngest child is that she's a big princess fan. 

That the princess is a fan of, well, princesses, was made public after a chef who met Meghan said so in an Instagram post. Adrian Lipscombe came to Meghan's defense after her new Netflix cooking show was bashed in the press, and she revealed that her own experience with Meghan had been nothing but positive. "We talked about our families (mostly about our daughters being in their princess phase and the movies they love)," Lipscombe shared. 

Of course, it's adorable knowing that the little princess loves the idea of being a princess — though it certainly may come as a surprise to some. After all, Meghan did famously compare her (decidedly not good) experience of being a royal with "The Little Mermaid." Telling Oprah Winfrey about the realization she had after she re-watched the Disney classic, Meghan said, "I went, 'Oh my God, she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice,'" (via People). No word on whether one of the princess movies little Lilibet has watched is "The Little Mermaid." That said, it certainly would make for an interesting story, later on. 

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As for why a conversation over princesses may only take place in the Sussex household later on — that's where another fascinating detail comes into play. That's because it transpires that Princess Lilibet doesn't actually know she's a princess yet. And no, it's not because Lilibet's relationship with the royals is any worse than we thought. 

The revelation of Lilibet not being fully aware of her title came in August 2024, when an unnamed friend of the Sussexes told Us Weekly as much. "They'll have those conversations in due time," the insider told the outlet. It seemed that for the time being, both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were more keen to let their kids grow into themselves, without dropping any major bombshells on them.

It bears mentioning that the same friend also opened up about who exactly Lilibet was growing into. Almost as if to sum up what we've already deduced about her based on her love for princesses and her ability to speak her mind, the source gushed, "Lili is vibrant and happy." We're glad to hear it! Time will tell if we'll ever see that for ourselves. With that said, even if we don't, we're wishing both Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie everything of the best.