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Depending on who you ask, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were either cruelly rebuffed by royal aides when they asked Queen Elizabeth II to pose for photos with their daughter Lilibet Diana last week — or they were just too polite to give their royal to disturb Grandmother Majesty.
Conflicting claims over an alleged photo request have gone viral since the California-based couple first introduced baby Lilibet, 1, to the Queen last Wednesday after she flew to the UK to attend platinum anniversary celebrations.
Reports from several other outlets claim Harry, 37, and Markle, 40, wanted their personal photographer to take happy snaps of the Queen and Lilibet – but they’ve been shut down. According to an anonymous source, they were told: “Not a chance. It was a private family event,” the Sun originally reported. This leaker also claimed the Queen’s minders were concerned that Harry and Markle would leak the photos to US TV networks.
However, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Post that the claim is nonsense.
“They were just enjoying a private and intimate visit with the Queen,” the source said, adding that Harry and Markle didn’t even bother asking for photos as the 96-year-old monarch was unwell.
Elizabeth’s communications secretary declined the Post’s request for comment on the conflicting reports.
Lilibet – who celebrated her first birthday in Britain – is the monarch’s great-granddaughter and namesake.
The source told the Post that Harry and Markle took Lilibet to meet Elizabeth for the second time on Friday.
The next day, the couple threw a small party for their daughter to celebrate her first birthday. They then released a photo of the tot taken at the celebration.
The birthday portrait is only the second photo the couple have released of their daughter, after she was featured on the family’s Christmas card last year.
While Harry and Markle are said to have a warm relationship with Elizabeth, their relationships with other royals are far more strained.
The couple – who notoriously stepped out of royal life in January 2020 – smashed the royal family 14 months ago in an infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey.
During this sensational session, the aggrieved couple leveled racism allegations at an unnamed member of the royal family, saying there were “concerns about how dark” their son Archie’s skin would be.
Meanwhile, Markle claimed she was silenced by family employees and claimed sister-in-law Kate made her cry during an argument over flower girl dresses ahead of her wedding to Harry.
It’s unclear if the two women have been in contact since the bombshell interview.
Meanwhile, Harry is said to have become estranged from brother Prince William.
Harry and Markle’s visit to the UK was brief as the pair landed in the country mid last week.
On Thursday, it was rumored that the couple would be banned from appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside Elizabeth, Prince Charles and other senior members of the royal family.
On Friday, the pair were booed as they performed at an anniversary event at St Paul’s Cathedral. Meanwhile, the couple flew out of the UK on Sunday, before the anniversary celebrations were even complete. However, sources told the Post this wasn’t a royal snub — Harry and Markle always intended to attend two events and leave.
