Could the Sussexes Extend Their U.K. Stay to Christen Baby Lilibet?
"Something really small that they could squeeze in..."
In less than two weeks’ time, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Archie and Lili, will be in the U.K. to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee alongside the Queen. Archie, now three, was christened in the U.K. on July 6, 2019, exactly two months after his birth, in a private ceremony; we don’t know if or when Lili has been christened. So, that begs the question—could Lili possibly be christened while the Sussex family is in the U.K. for the Jubilee?
It's a topic that “Royally Us” cohosts Christina Garibaldi and Christine Ross covered in this week’s episode, reading out a comment from a listener that said, “I’m hoping that during the time that Lilibet will receive her christening at Windsor Castle [with family].”
“That’s an interesting thing to say,” Garibaldi responded, per The Daily Express. “Maybe Lilibet will have her christening while they are at Windsor during the Platinum Jubilee.”
Ross said she would be “shocked if they could squeeze that in, unless it was really, really private,” but added “maybe just Meghan, Harry, Lilibet, Archie, and the Queen—something really small that they could squeeze in.”
Garibaldi offered the possibility that the Sussex family could extend their U.K. stay to the following weekend to avoid the business of the Jubilee weekend—which, in addition to events every day from June 2 to June 5, also includes Lili’s first birthday on June 4.
“Maybe they’ll extend their stay, you know, maybe they’ll do it the following weekend,” Garibaldi said. “It’s an interesting point. We’ll have to keep a lookout.”
There has been prior drama about Lili’s christening, according to royal expert Neil Sean. Speaking on his YouTube channel, “Neil Sean’s Daily News Headlines,” apparently Prince William “put his foot down” about Harry and Meghan holding Lili’s christening in the U.K.
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“According to a very good source, Prince William was the one who basically said ‘no, we don’t think this is going to work,’ it wasn’t a particularly good idea,” he said.
With a full weekend of celebrations at hand, why not add one more into the mix and let Lili be christened in front of Lilibet—Her Majesty’s familial nickname? What could be better than that?
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.