Queen Bans Photographs Of First Meeting With Great-Granddaughter Lilibet During Platinum Jubilee

The Queen has denied permission for photographs of her first meeting with great-granddaughter Lilibet, the daughter of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, during their trip to the UK for the Platinum Jubilee.

The couple named their daughter after her great-grandmother's childhood nickname.

Harry and Meghan were in the UK with children Archie and Lilibet, ages three and one respectively, for the first time since the couple stepped down as working royals and moved to the US in 2020.

On Thursday, after tripping the colour, the Queen finally met her great-granddaughter for the first time, but it's thought that she banned photographers from capturing the moment on camera.

Some royal experts even questioned why no official photographs of the meeting have been released, but it's thought that direct orders from the monarch herself prevented this from happening.

Harry and Meghan had hoped to bring a professional photographer into Windsor Castle to capture the monumental and historical moment.

However, members of the royal family reportedly expressed concerns that pictures of the Queen and Lilibet taken by the couple's photographer could be shared by them with US television networks.

One source told The Sun that there was no chance of the child, who was meeting her namesake for the first time, being photographed with Her Majesty, adding, “Harry and Meghan wanted their photographer to capture the moment Lilibet met the Queen, but they were told no chance.

It was a private family meeting.”

Explaining why, however, royal expert Daniela Elsa shared with News.com.au that this could have been to prevent the photograph blowing all other Jubilee coverage out of the water.

The Queen's decision to refuse permission for photographs was likely an attempt to avoid detracting from the focus of the Jubilee celebrations.

Lilibet turned one last Saturday, with a birthday party held at Frogmore Cottage while the Sussexes were in the UK with her royal second cousins, invited for birthday cake and party games.

The Sussexes returned to the US on Sunday before the festivities ended.

They were noticeably absent from the limelight during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and were spotted sitting several rows behind Prince Charles and Prince William during Friday's service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral.

They were kept at arm's length by the royals during the celebrations and left out of any public appearances alongside the Queen, Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Harry and Meghan's low profile over the weekend meant they attended without Netflix cameras in attendance.

The couple reportedly left the UK prior to the conclusion of the final events marking the Queen's 70 years on the throne.

As the Platinum Jubilee pageant finally got underway outside Buckingham Palace on Sunday, the Sussexes had already driven away from Frogmore Cottage.

The couple's swift exit before the end of the Jubilee celebrations came as experts claimed Harry was struggling to accept his new second-row royal role.

Tensions had been running high between the Sussexes and the rest of the Royal Family since the pair's Oprah interview last year, in which they made allegations of racism and Meghan spoke openly about her fractured relationship with Catherine.

This weekend marked Harry and Meghan's first public appearance alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge since moving to the US two years ago.

In a statement released on Sunday evening, the Queen said she had been humbled and deeply touched that so many had come out to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.