PRINCESS Lilibet has been hailed as a “jigsaw girl” following her fourth birthday photo.
On Wednesday, the daughter of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrated her birthday – with the duchess sharing two photos of the young tot.
Meghan Markle shared this photo of Princess Lilibet for her fourth birthday this week[/caption]
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex like to protect the privacy of Lilibet and Archie by concealing their faces[/caption]
One of the only photos we’ve seen of Lilibet’s face was her first birthday picture[/caption]
On The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show Charles Raw and Sarah Hewson spoke to host Bronte Coy, with Charles calling Lilibet a ‘jigsaw girl’[/caption]
One showed Princess Lilibet as a newborn, while the second was a picture of Lilibet in the present day.
However, both snaps showed a partial view of Princess Lilibet’s face for privacy.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, former Sun Royal Correspondent and author Charles Rae discussed the intimate post, with host Bronte Coy saying it showed “almost Lilibet’s whole face.”
He said: “I like your definition of almost the full face.
“I’m dubbing Lilibet the jigsaw girl because over the four years, all we’ve seen is an ankle, an arm, a bit of a nose, maybe a forehead.”
He added: “I’m all for them protecting their children.
“I’ve got no problems with that as well.
“But, you know, this sort of half bits of the child, it doesn’t do anything for me.”
Royal Correspondent Sarah Hewson pointed out that the last time we had a proper portrait of Lilibet was three years ago to mark her first birthday.
She shared: “Apart from that, we haven’t really seen her face. We see the backs of them.
“We do know so little about Lilibet because they moved to California.
“They are very protective over their children’s privacy and they have every right to do so.
I’m dubbing Lilibet the jigsaw girl because over the four years, all we’ve seen is an ankle, an arm, a bit of a nose, maybe a forehead
Charles Rae
“We know that their safety is a huge issue.”
We last got a glimpse of Princess Lilibet in a little beekeeper suit, which was shared by mum Meghan on Instagram – but it was taken from behind.
Meghan recently shared this photo of Princess Lilibet in a beekeeping suit[/caption]
GUARDED FAMILY
Bronte continued: “They’re releasing bits of the kids, but in a very guarded way still.
“But both Harry and Meghan have been accused in the past of hypocrisy in this area.
“As a parent, of course, I do understand it is completely a prerogative what you share of your children online.
“They have said things in the past about their privacy.
“And then now Meghan having launched her Instagram in January, she has been releasing more and more of the kids, which is her decision.”
Meghan shared this photo of Archie from behind for his birthday[/caption]
Sarah claimed it is “fair play” what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex share on Instagram now that they are no longer senior working royals.
The couple famously stepped down in 2020 and now live in the star-studded Montecito California, in a £12million mansion with Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.
Sarah added: “With Harry and Meghan, of course, we’d all love to see more because we’re really interested in those little children.
“But I think it’s entirely fair that they say, ‘you know what, it’s on our terms’.
“And that’s what this is, very much on their terms, Meghan on her own platform, the images they choose to curate.”
KATE AND WILLS’ VIEWS
The Prince and Princess of Wales recognise George, Charlotte and Louis ‘play a public role’, according to experts[/caption]
She pointed out that Prince William and Princess Kate may have a different approach with their own kids, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven.
The royal expert explained: “I think with the Waleses, they recognise that their children are going to play a part in public life.
“And they are being funded by the public as well.
“And they are going to take on significant roles in the future of the country and the monarchy.
“And therefore they recognise that they need to share.
“But they’re also quite careful about when they share those moments of their children’s lives. “And there are pretty stringent restrictions on what can be shown and what can’t.”
Charles agreed, saying: “You know, their children are eventually going to be on the royal treadmill.
“But they are very cautious with the times that the children have access to the public, or the public have access to them.”
How Princess Kate cleverly manages George, Charlotte and Louis’ image – but manages to retain their privacy
KATE Middleton and Prince William are raising three of the most famous children in the UK – but strongly prioritise protecting their privacy as much as possible.
According to royal experts, the Prince and Princess of Wales are keen to get the balance between shielding their kids and also letting the public get to know their future king.
Royal author Phil Dampier told Fabulous: “Prince William always vowed to protect his wife and children from the problems of being a royal and in the spotlight as much as possible, and he promised Kate’s parents he would do everything in his power.
“Both William and Kate are determined that their three children will have as normal a childhood as possible to give them a good start in life.”
Instead of hiring a formal photographer to capture intimate family moments, the duchess prefers to snap them herself.
Phil said: “Kate takes her own pictures of them on birthdays and special occasions so that she can control their image, but also make sure they are happy to be photographed.”
Phil explained that the family spends a lot of time at Anmer Hall in Norfolk where they can disappear from the public gaze.
He said: “The paparazzi pretty much leave them alone and they can go off in woods and on beaches without being disturbed.
“Kate’s mum Carole is there a lot of the time and is very close to them, particularly George.
“They go to normal nurseries and mix with normal kids at school in London.”
