Sophia Michaels
Prince William and Kate Middleton paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II on her 97th birthday with a never-before-seen throwback snap taken by Middleton. The photo featured the monarch seated on a couch with some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Notably missing from the group were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1.
The photo included Savannah Phillips, 12, Mia Tindall, 9, and Lucas Tindall, 2, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three kids — Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4 — Isla Phillips, 11, and Lena Tindall, 4. Lady Louise Windsor, 19, and James, Earl of Wessex, 15, made up the back of the group photo.
The couple captioned the Instagram upload “Today would have been Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday. This photograph — showing her with some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren — was taken at Balmoral last summer.”
The absence of Harry and Meghan’s children was quickly noticed by followers of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram account. One follower commented “Harry’s children could have been in this too. … I bet he regrets for his children’s lasting memories.” Other social media users inquired about Archie and Lilibet, as well as Princess Eugenie’s son August, 2, and Princess Beatrice’s daughter Sienna, 1.
The Queen had met Lilibet three months prior to her death in September 2022. Harry and Meghan attended Elizabeth’s funeral without their little ones. Harry will be attending King Charles III’s coronation next month while Meghan will remain in California with Archie and Lilibet. The couple welcomed Archie and Lilibet in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
