Queen Elizabeth II broke royal tradition during meeting with Lilibet, says author

Queen Elizabeth II finally met Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet Diana on June 2, but it was far from what the couple expected of the first encounter as there were no pictures involved.

Her Majesty reportedly saw the 1-year-old in person for the first time after Trooping the Colour. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex introduced their daughter to her and also brought along Archie to visit her at Windsor Castle.

It is said that the couple had wanted their long-time friend and photographer Misan Harriman to take photos of the meeting, but royal aides were adamant that this could not happen.

Royal author Christopher Andersen thinks that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have had trouble accepting this decision because it broke royal tradition. He noted that two days after Archie was born in May 2019, there were photos of the proud parents introducing their firstborn to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The duchess' mum, Doria Ragland, was even in the picture.

Speaking on the Royally US podcast, the biographer said, "We now know that the Queen, well, the men in grey who really handle things, would not permit the Queen's photograph to be taken with Lilibet. That spoke volumes, it was a really bitter pill for Meghan and Harry to swallow."

He pointed out, "You have to remember, Archie was photographed with the Queen, and Prince Philip, and Doria Ragland when he was two days old. It's a tradition to be photographed with the monarch when you're a grandchild or a great-grandchild. But this was a really different feeling."

It is unclear why Queen Elizabeth II, or royal aides for that matter, refused to have pictures taken of Lilibet's first meeting with her great-grandmother. There were reportedly concerns that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would try to make a profit out of the photos or that they could end up on a U.S. TV network or on Netflix.

Aside from meeting Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also celebrated Lilibet's milestone in the U.K. They had a picnic at Frogmore Cottage on her first birthday on June 4.