Lilibet and Charlotte are both King Charles III’s granddaughters, but they live very different lives. Recently, Meghan Markle posted a photo of Lilibet on her birthday, reminding us all of that. We got two pictures, one of Lilibet being lovingly held by her father, Prince Harry, with both of her parents beaming at her, and another of Lilibet in a grassy garden. She’s barefoot in both pictures, wearing a lovely pale green sundress, and her long red hair is covering her face. The caption says “Our dream girl.” Harry and Meghan have a unique privilege of keeping their children’s privacy, something that other royals can only dream of. So when Meghan posts a rare photo of her kids, it’s a huge deal, even if we can’t see their faces.
Now let’s compare it to what it’s like for Princess Charlotte. For her birthday, which is only a month before Lilibet’s, her parents, Prince William and Princess Catherine, also posed a photo of her on Instagram. She’s also standing in a garden, but she’s facing a camera, and her pose suggests that she’s very familiar with taking pictures for the public, having to be seen by millions of people. The way she’s dressed also tells a different story. Yes, she’s wearing jeans, which isn’t exactly what she wears to public royal outings, but her collared shirt under a sweater and the overall vibe are more preppy than relaxed and casual.
Will Charlotte and Lilibet ever become besties?
We can’t help but wonder if Lilibet and Charlotte will eventually grow to envy each other’s lifestyles. After all, they’re both kids of royalty, but they have entirely different lifestyles. Lilibet gets to enjoy a relatively normal childhood; she gets to keep her privacy, and she’s way too young to understand her connection to the royal family right now. But will she wish she attended palace garden parties and spent summers at Balmoral once she grows up a bit? Will she wish she could spend her days exploring royal palaces and getting etiquette lessons and learning how to ride a horse?
Now, when it comes to Princess Charlotte, will she long for freedom from the public eye and the privacy that her cousin enjoys in the US? Lilibet and Archie get to go celebrate their birthdays at Disneyland, wear overpriced Mickey ears, and ride the rollercoasters. If Princess Charlotte were to attempt that, it would be a logistical nightmare, with lots of security and most likely having to close sections of Disneyland to the public. So you know, a nearly impossible feat. On top of that, Princess Charlotte is almost a teenager, soon she might start fretting about hormonal changes and pimples, all while every tabloid in the world is looking to snap a photo.
The saddest part of all this is that Charlotte has a very friendly relationship with all of her royal cousins, but the ones that she’s supposed to be closest with (Lili and Archie) are literal strangers to her. Not only do they live thousands of miles across the ocean from her, but the icy relationship between their parents doesn’t help either. We can only hope that once these royal kids grow up, they might be interested in connecting and catching up.
