TV personality Garcelle Beauvais is casting doubt on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's choice to spend the day in Wales while their niece, Lilibet Diana, reportedly celebrated her first birthday in Windsor.
Lilibet Diana was set to meet Queen Elizabeth II for the first time on Saturday, June 4, her first birthday. The queen and the royal family are celebrating the Platinum Jubilee all weekend with a slate of concerts and events planned to mark the 70th year of the queen's reign.
Meghan and Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, attended Trooping the Colour on Thursday and a Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral on Friday without their children, Lilibet and Archie, 3. They weren't seen interacting with Harry's brother, William, or his wife, Catherine, at either event. Rumors of a feud between the brothers have run rampant since Harry described himself and William as "on different paths" in an interview in South Africa in 2019.
William, Catherine and their two oldest children, Prince George, 8, and Princess Charlotte, 7, spent the day in Wales meeting people who were set to perform in a Jubilee event later that day. They made it back to London in time for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in the evening.
Garcelle Beauvais, Loni Love and Francesca Amiker discussed the scheduling choice on E!'s Daily Pop. Beauvais, who is also an actor and a cast member of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, said it was "shad[y]" of the Cambridges to miss their niece's milestone day.
"What's going on is, 'What a coincidence, we're out of town, I'm washing my hair,'" Beauvais said to laughs from the co-hosts. "It's a little shade there."
When asked if it could be a coincidence, Beauvais responded, "No. They can't hold back the flight a couple of hours to meet 'Little Bit' and Archie?"
Amiker gave Will and Kate the benefit of the doubt, saying, "Someone has to be there to represent the queen. She's sending them on her behalf."
The hosts also discussed whether Meghan and Harry's attendance at the Jubilee could "upstage" the queen's big weekend, with Beauvais opining that they'd "absolutely" be drawing attention to themselves.
"First of all, Meghan Markle's gonna bring the fashion," she said. "I am here for it. I cannot wait to see what she wears because I'm obsessed." She added, "I think it's important that she meets the kids, god forbid, you know, in case something happens."
"I just want the picture," Love said. "This is historic, so to have Lilibet and to have Archie, I would like to see just one family picture. With the queen. With everybody. They may not be on the balcony but they're coming to the events. I just want one picture."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were excluded from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after it was announced that only working royals would be included for the iconic photo opportunity. Meghan and Harry had previously found themselves pushed to the back during these moments.
Fans reacted to the Daily Pop clip and news that William and Kate were skipping Lilibet's birthday on Twitter. "Well, I think Harry missed a lot of birthday parties for George, Charlotte, and Louis. What's your point?" asked user @anitagclwfl.
"The problem has never been harry and meghan," opined @Jackiedalle. "it has been william and Kate. Remember how it was almost 10 days before the Cambridges went to see Archie at frogmore cottage. Even the right wing press raised eyeballs at such delay."
After visiting Wales for the day, William, Catherine, George and Charlotte attended the Platinum Party at the Palace back in London along with other royals including Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands. Meghan and Harry were not seen at the event.
The couple were seen playing with Zara and Mike Tindall's children through a window at Trooping the Colour, but other public interactions with royals have been minimal. It's possible the couple will appear at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday. June 5, before leaving the U.K.
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Molly Mulshine is Newsweek's Entertainment Editor based in London, U.K. Her focus is entertainment and pop culture; she has covered ... Read more
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