une 4, 2022, was a special day for the Sussex family as it was the first birthday of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter Lilibet. The 12th great-grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth was born on June 4, 2021, in Santa Monica, California. Before June 2022, Elizabeth had not met her youngest great-grandchild and had actually only seen Lilibet through virtual means of communication. However, luckily before her passing on Sept. 8, 2022, that changed at her Platinum Jubilee as Harry and Meghan were in attendance to celebrate Elizabeth’s incredible milestone.
Harry and Meghan had traveled to the UK for the first time since moving to the US in 2020 to celebrate the late queen’s jubilee, which was a four-day holiday weekend to mark Elizabeth’s incredible 70-year-reign. The couple’s first public appearance at a royal event in more than two years happened on June 3, 2022, when they attended a thanksgiving service for the queen which took place at the prestigious St. Paul’s Cathedral.
However, the Sussexes were not invited to join the queen and the rest of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony for her iconic Trooping the Colour parade. But Washington Post reported that photographers caught a glimpse of Meghan playing with some of Elizabeth’s great-grandchildren in a window of Buckingham Palace while the parade took place.
While Harry and Meghan have faced a lot of criticism for their decision to leave their duties as royals to opt for a quieter life in the US, their attendance at the queen’s jubilee was appreciated, especially since it was her last big celebration before her death. More importantly, it gave Lilibet and her brother Archie a beautiful celebration of their great-grandmother. As the daughter of the royal couple just turned 1, the world is celebrating her growing up right before our eyes.
Harry was born on Sept. 15, 1984, in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London to his mother, Princess Diana, and his father, King Charles III. While his childhood had its share of setbacks and difficulties, such as his parents splitting up, Harry was always known for his “happy-go-lucky” disposition. The tragic and untimely death of his mother in 1997 affected him deeply and left him with a lot of emotional scars, according to Biography.com.
As he grew up, his interest in military service matured and in 2005, he enrolled at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He served for 10 years and officially ended his duties in May 2015. While he was no longer involved in active combat, Harry continued volunteering to assist wounded servicemen. The Duke of Sussex’s military duty included two tours in Afghanistan and he was eventually promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with The Household Cavalry, according to the Royal Website.
In 2017, Harry was made the Captain General of the Royal Marines, succeeding the late Prince Philip who had previously held the same position. However, Harry stepped back from all of his military duties when he chose to leave behind his title as a senior royal member of the family back in January 2020.
Harry and his wife Meghan were set up on a blind date in 2016 and hit it off instantly. Meghan likely knew she had finally met the love of her life, given that things progressed so quickly. It was likely the same for Harry, who revealed to Vogue: “I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her. I was like, I’m really going to have to up my game here.”
As an actress, Meghan had already made it big through her own hard work before ever laying eyes on Harry. Still, the fame she experienced as an actress could not possibly prepare her for the notoriety she would achieve after becoming the Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan focused on her studies and worked in politics before eventually finding her way to making a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Although Meghan knew her passions rested in acting, she did not like the idea of being a cliched girl from Los Angeles who wanted to be an actress. Now, it’s clear that she is far from being cliche.
Without letting her passions fall by the wayside, Meghan would later move to Illinois and attend Northwestern in the city of Evanston and decided to pursue politics next. However, even when working as an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina, Meghan still held a spark for theater and the world of acting.
She continued going out for auditions while completing her schooling. She landed small roles over the next few years, including film work such as “Remember Me” and “Get Him to the Greek.” She would also land a role on “General Hospital,” but it wasn’t until she landed her breakout role in the smash hit show “Suits” that everything would change for her.
Meghan would continue to play the role of her character, Rachel Zane, on “Suits” all the way through 2018, the very same year that she married Harry. The happy couple has continued to show off their beautiful love to the world ever since, and have even welcomed two children: Archie and Lilibet. However, their love story has not gone on without some hardships along the way as they announced their royal departure just a few years after tying the knot.