'Frail' Queen Elizabeth Didn't Want Photos With Great-Granddaughter Lilibet Leaked

A source has revealed why Queen Elizabeth refused to have photographs with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter Lilibet, who visited the U.K. for the Platinum Jubilee festivities last month. It was previously reported the monarch did not allow photographers to capture her first meeting with her great-granddaughter, which took place at Windsor Castle the day before the Trooping the Colour event on June 2.

There have also been speculations that Queen Elizabeth was too frail when she met Lilibet and that she did not want to be photographed in her condition, ET Online reported. She allegedly barred photographers from witnessing the special occasion as she did not want the photos leaked to the U.K. media, or pop up on U.S. television networks or Netflix, which Prince Harry and Meghan previously inked a massive deal with.

As per The Telegraph, Royal commentator Camilla Tominey revealed that Prince Harry offered to bring his own photographer to document the occasion and take an official photo of his grandma with Lilibet, but the Queen refused due to her condition at the time, 7news reported.

Tominey revealed that the frail 96-year-old monarch had a visible bloodshot eye during the meeting and was not comfortable being photographed. She also explained that Buckingham Palace controls how the Queen appears in photographs so as to avoid buzzes about her health.

Despite the Queen’s refusal, Tominey said Prince Harry is determined to have his daughter photographed with Queen Elizabeth in the future. “The Duke is thought to have expressed a desire to get an official photograph of the two Lilibets together at some point in the future,” she said.

Prince Harry and Meghan released an official portrait of Lilibet a few days after the Platinum Jubilee celebrations to mark her first birthday. The couple welcomed their daughter in June 2021 in California and named her Lilibet to honor Queen Elizabeth.