Meghan MarkleandPrince Harryare celebrating the christening of their daughterPrincess Lilibet Diana.
PEOPLE exclusively confirms that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex held a christening for their 21-month-old daughter last Friday in a small and intimate ceremony at their home in Montecito, California.
According to a source, Meghan, 41, and Harry, 38, extended an invite toKing Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William andKate Middleton, but they were not in attendance.
getty; Misan Harriman
“The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch,” a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told PEOPLE. “This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.”
Perry was spotted arriving in Montecito last week ahead of the christening. He flew in for the ceremony from his home in Atlanta with a 10-person gospel choir that sang “Oh Happy Day” and “This Little Light of Mine” — a song that was played at Meghan and Harry’s wedding.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their children, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie.Netflix/Youtube
In anexclusive interview with PEOPLEin January, Prince Harry spoke of his wish for his children to have ameaningful relationshipwith the royal family.
“I’ve said before that I’ve wanted a family, not an institution—so of course, I would love nothing more than for our children to have relationships with members of my family, and they do with some, which brings me great joy,” Harry said.
Harry also opened up about his children’s special visit with their great-grandmotherQueen Elizabethbefore her death in his memoir,Spare.
Prince Harry and Lilibet.Netflix
In December, Tyler Perry revealed that he is godfather to Lilibet, who was born on June 4, 2021, in Santa Barbara, California.
The filmmaker recalled in the final episode of theNetflixdocuseriesHarry & Meghanthat the couple asked him to accept the role in 2021 after Lili was born.
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Perry said Harry and Meghan “were pretty serious on the phone” when they called to ask when usually their chats are more lighthearted.
“I go, ‘Okay, what’s going on?’ They said, ‘Well, we’d like for you to be Lili’s godfather.’ I go, ‘Whoa,’ " Perry, who offered his California home to the couple after they left the U.K. in 2020, continued. “I had to take a minute to take that in.”
“And I thought, ‘I’d be honored. I’d absolutely be honored,’ " he added.
source: people.com
