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Meghan and Harry Use Lilibet’s Birthday Cake to Make Yet Another Subtle Dig at Royal Family

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took their children to Disneyland California last week to celebrate Princess Lilibet’s fourth birthday. For the occasion, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had a two-tier birthday cake featuring a figure of Princess Ariel from The Little Mermaid. While the cake was a nod to young Lilibet's favorite Disney princess and her red hair, it also made a subtle swipe at the royal family.

Markle, in her infamous Oprah Winfrey interview, had revealed that Ariel's storyline once struck her as it greatly resembled her experiences in the royal fold. As reported by GB News, she said, “And who as an adult really watches The Little Mermaid, but it came on and I was like, 'Well, I'm here all the time, I might as well watch this… And I went, 'Oh my God, she falls in love with the prince, and because of that she loses her voice.” The Disney story has Ariel trading her voice to the sea witch to marry her love, Prince Eric, on land. Markle was relating this to her own experience of marrying a prince and feeling controlled by the Firm. 

Markle stressed that just like the mermaid, she also ‘got her voice back,’ referencing her stepping down as a senior royal in 2020. In the movie, Ariel ultimately defeats the sea witch Ursula and regains her ability to speak. Winfrey echoed her remarks, saying, “And this is what happened here. You feel like you got your voice back.” The Duchess also told the veteran host that her and Harry's love story has been “greater than any fairytale you've ever read.” In light of these past remarks, royal watchers were convinced Lilibet’s birthday cake with a The Little Mermaid theme was a clever swipe at the royal family.

The Duchess of Sussex has also previously used her kids to make brutal digs at the royals. On the penultimate episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, she discussed the challenges of balancing motherhood with professional responsibilities. As per Tyla, Markle said, “I will say for myself, especially when they are baby babies... the crying... before I was a mom, and I've always wanted to be a mom…” Taking a swipe, she added, “I had a whole vision...and you fast forward... granted, I had a lot of external things happening at the time I had both pregnancies and both babies, but it was not the way I envisioned it.” Her mention of ‘external things’ indirectly critiqued the royal family for their treatment of her during and after her royal exit. 

Coming back to Lilibet’s birthday, as reported by Hello! Magazine, Markle posted a video montage of their trip to Disneyland, which showed the family riding the Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear's Star Cruiser, and Cars-themed Radiator Springs Racers. They were also seen watching a Star Wars stage show with Archie. The clip also showed Prince Archie and Lilibet meeting Elsa and other characters from Frozen. Later footage showed Lilibet riding Dumbo the Flying Elephant.