Prince Harry Reportedly Told King Charles to Be Less Extravagant with Princess Lilibet’s Birthday Gift
The King wanted to go all out for his youngest grandchild.
Princess Lilibet’s second birthday was this past Sunday, and apparently Prince Harry “warned” Lili’s grandfather King Charles about what he could get her for the occasion, OK reports.
It seems the King was intent on getting his youngest grandchild the perfect gift for her big day, and a source says Charles “had his aides looking at custom-made cubby houses, similar to what the Queen and Princess Margaret had when they were girls.”
“He wants to give Lili something she will use and be hers,” the insider says. “She’ll remember it forever—it’s going to be the ultimate surprise.” (No word yet on whether Lili received the gift on Sunday or not.)
But Harry had opinions about the gift: While Charles was apparently intent on giving Lili a gift she’d never forget, “Harry has warned Charles to be less extravagant,” the source says.
Charles and Harry’s strained relationship has been on the mend since March, when the two met briefly when Harry was in the U.K. to appear in court. (He’s back in court again this week.) “After that, the King finally started taking his son’s calls again,” an insider says, adding that several phone calls followed between the two. Harry then attended Charles’ Coronation on May 6, but wife Meghan Markle, son Prince Archie, and Lili stayed behind at home in Montecito, California.
May 6 was also Archie’s fourth birthday, and it was not forgotten by the King, who toasted after the ceremony to “those that weren’t there,” including a special happy birthday for Archie, “wherever he was.” A source called it a “very sweet moment.”
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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
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