Queen's Secret Heartache: Elizabeth 'Left in Limbo' by Lilibet as She Waited With Cake for Great-granddaughter's First Birthday
Sept. 9 2023, Published 5:15 p.m. ET
Queen Elizabeth II was left disappointed on her great-granddaughter Lilibet's first birthday when the young royal didn't blow out the candle on a cake made specially for her, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The late Queen had a cake made with one candle for the occasion but ultimately did not get to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet on her first birthday, according to the Queen's former footman, Paul Burrell.
In an interview with the Mirror, Burrell claimed that even though the family was in the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, the Queen still did not get to see Lilibet on her special day.
"Even on Lilibet's first birthday, the Queen didn't see her. She saw her the day before. But on her birthday, the Queen had a birthday cake made with one candle in it. And they never turned up. That candle was never lit," he told the outlet.
The birthday celebration had been planned to take place at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, where the family had gathered for a backyard picnic. However, the Queen herself was unable to attend due to her ongoing mobility issues, forcing her to cancel her appearance at the Epsom Derby, which was part of the jubilee celebrations.
The day after Lilibet's birthday, the Queen had asked if the family would like to come for tea again, only to be informed that they had already returned to America without saying goodbye.
Burrell recalls the Queen's confusion and expresses his disbelief at anyone wanting to offend her.
"Well, I don't understand anyone that could do that. Not her family, why would you want to? She was devoid of jealousy, anger, envy, all those traits that we associate with other people she didn't have. She was just a very simple soul. I wish the world could have known her the way I knew her."
Burrell claimed that the royal family had taken the Queen's death hard.
"All the family dearly loved our Queen, and they will all be remembering her in their own particular ways," Burrell told the outlet. "She was a mother, a granny, a great granny to all of them. And they all miss her. Even Harry and Meghan, in Los Angeles, will be thinking about the Queen on her anniversary because Harry was a particular favorite."
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Harry and Meghan were called "cruel" for causing the late Queen so much stress in her final days by one of the monarch's close friends.
The insider claimed, "For the last years of her life, certainly from when her husband died [in April 2021], the queen was in a lot of pain."
"In the final months, of course, it got very much worse; by the time of the Platinum Jubilee (June 2022), she couldn't see very much, she couldn't hear very much, and she was easily confused," they continued. "She barely moved from her apartments in Windsor Castle. Appearing on the balcony at the jubilee required a titanic effort."