Meghan Markle celebrated her daughter Princess Lilibet’s fourth birthday Wednesday by sharing a photo that gives the public a rare front-facing view of the little girl’s face.
In the black-and-white Instagram image, roughly two-thirds of Lilibet’s face is visible. Since stepping back from official royal duties, Meghan and Prince Harry have only publicly shared images of Lilibet and their other child, Archie, showing them from behind or in profile, except for an official first birthday portrait from 2022.
The Instagram tribute was captioned with a loving message: “Happy birthday to our beautiful girl! Four years ago today she came into our lives – and each day is brighter and better because of it. Thanks to all of those sending love and celebrating her special day!”
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The Duchess of Sussex included a second photo in the post, showing herself cradling then-newborn Lilibet in her arms.
The latest image could be seen as part of a series making an ever-so-deliberate slow reveal of Lilibet Diana.
Meghan has often posted photos of her children taken from behind or at an angle that obscures their faces.
She has also posted mother-daughter moments, including shots of Lili with her face obscured by flowing red hair and a sun hat.
Earlier this spring, for example, Meghan posted a series of family snapshots on Instagram captioned “Sunday kind of love…with my little loves,” which featured Lilibet’s long red hair but only the back of the little girl’s head as she stood by her mom, plus similar over-the-shoulder shots of big brother Archie.
These artfully angled photos seemed designed to ensure the children’s identities were guarded while still stoking interest in her ongoing commercial projects. Her Instagram, for example, links directly to her commission-based shopmy page.
It is not the first time Meghan has appeared to use her kids to promote her commercial ventures. In March, while teasing the launch of her new lifestyle brand, “As Ever,” Meghan shared a photo of herself and Lilibet walking in a garden, both wearing matching straw hats.
In that image, Lilibet’s signature ginger locks (inherited from Prince Harry) fell in front of her face in loose waves, effectively concealing her features.
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After stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Meghan and Harry made it clear that they did not want to feel obliged to share personal details or photos of their children with the media.
Meghan also spoke about her reluctance to distribute royal baby photos in the traditional royal way, saying in her 2022 interview with The Cut: “There’s literally a structure by which if you want to release photos of your child, as a member of the family, you first have to give them to the Royal Rota (press pool).”
The couple’s selective approach to their privacy was lampooned by the show South Park, and Meghan’s willingness to now show (at least part of) Lilibet’s face on her personal Instagram will likely stir up fresh debate.
