Meghan Markle has revealed Princess Lilibet is a Beyoncé fan after taking a photo of her five-year-old daughter wearing a T-shirt paying homage to the singer.
The Duchess of Sussex posted the image on Instagram of the King’s granddaughter with the top featuring an illustration of the popstar and the phrase ‘B is for Beyonce’.
The T-shirt was designed by a ten-year-old girl named Pearl, according to a product description from the National Women’s History Museum which sells it for $48 (£36).
Lilibet’s face was cropped out of Meghan’s photo, which was among a series of 11 which appeared to have been taken at the family’s home in Montecito, California.
Meghan posted the pictures under the caption: ‘Springing into summer.’ Another showed Harry and Archie playing football with an oversized ball, a third was of the Sussexes embracing and a fourth showed Meghan preparing food in her kitchen.
The Duchess has had a personal connection to Beyoncé since July 2019, when they first met in London at the European premiere of Disney’s remake of The Lion King.
Former actress Meghan and Prince Harry joined Beyoncé and Jay-Z, when the Duchess held the singer’s hand affectionately and Beyoncé said: ‘We love you guys.’
Their meeting in Leicester Square came two months after Prince Archie’s birth, and Jay-Z was heard to tell new father Harry: ‘Always find some time for yourself.’
The Duchess of Sussex posted a photograph on Instagram of Princess Lilibet with a white T-shirt featuring an illustration of Beyoncé along with the phrase ‘B is for Beyonce’
A separate new image of Lilibet posted last week by Meghan on Instagram to celebrate her fifth birthday showed her standing barefoot on the grass in the sunshine, wearing a summer dress
Another new image of Princess Lilibet posted last week shows the barefoot youngster, with her long red hair down and covering her face, being held in Harry’s arms as he looks at her
Jay-Z could also be seen saying ‘congrats’ while his wife said ‘baby, so beautiful’.
Harry kissed Beyoncé on both cheeks and appeared to say that the singer and Jay-Z were a busy pair. Beyoncé answered: ‘A little bit. No more busy than you guys.’
Beyoncé also reportedly calling Meghan ‘my princess’, and Harry spoke with Disney boss Bob Iger and appeared to ask him if there were any voiceover roles for Meghan.
‘You know she does voiceovers,’ Harry could be heard saying in a video, as Mr Iger replied: ‘Oh, really?’ Harry then said: ‘Did you know that? You seem surprised.’
Gesturing towards Meghan, who was speaking with Beyoncé, the Duke can be heard saying: ‘She’s really interested.’ Mr Iger replies: ‘Sure, we’d love to try.’
Billy Eichner, who voiced meerkat Timon in the animated film, later said of Beyoncé: ‘That was the first time she met Meghan Markle. And that was a big moment.’
That meeting followed Beyoncé accepting a Brit Award in February 2019 with Jay-Z in front of a portrait showing the Duchess as a royal version of the Mona Lisa.
In a post explaining why they had decided to put Meghan in the frame, Beyoncé and Jay-Z wrote: ‘In honour of Black History Month, we bow down to one of our Melanated Monas. Congrats on your pregnancy! We wish you so much joy.’
Beyoncé also praised Meghan after the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, during which the Duchess claimed to have encountered racism within the Royal Family.
Meghan and Beyoncé at The Lion King premiere in London’s Leicester Square in July 2019
Prince Harry chats with Disney boss Robert Iger as Meghan embraces Beyoncé in July 2019
Meghan at a Beyoncé gig at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in September 2023 with the singer’s former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland and actress Kerry Washington
Beyoncé accepted a Brit Award in February 2019 with Jay-Z in front of a portrait of Meghan
Beyoncé posted on her website: ‘Thank you Meghan for your courage and leadership. We are all strengthened and inspired by you.’
And in one episode of their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan released in December 2022, Meghan claimed to have received a supportive text from Beyoncé.
She told the camera crew: ‘Beyoncé just texted, just checking in… I still can’t believe she knows who I am… She said she wants me to feel safe and protected.
‘She admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability and thinks I was selected to break generational curses that need to be healed.’
The Sussexes stepped down as senior royals and moved to the US in 2020 – and in September 2023, they watched Beyoncé on her Renaissance tour in California.
Meghan was pictured at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles catching up with Beyoncé’s former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland and actress Kerry Washington.
Then in May last year, Meghan and Harry again watched Beyoncé at SoFi Stadium during a concert which was part of her Cowboy Carter tour.
The Duchess’s latest posts of Lilibet come after Meghan shared a family photo on June 4 of ‘our dream girl’ to celebrate her daughter’s fifth birthday.
Another photo posted by Meghan yesterday showed Harry as he played football with Archie
Meghan also posted this photo taken from behind of her embracing her husband Harry
Meghan also posted an image of her in a striped button-up blouse and white linen skirt
She gave her fans a look into her kitchen in a short video shot over her shoulder that showed her preparing what might have been the supplies for a pasta sauce
The Duchess also showed her preparing what might have been the supplies for a pasta sauce
Meghan showed off a rugged double-denim look in a photo which was part of the collection
One image featured Meghan’s rescue beagle Guy as he took a nap on a stone path outside
Before-and-after photos were also posted, with the before showing a nest with three eggs
The after shot showed the birds after being born as they cuddled up together
The Duchess added some colour to the post with a photograph of a basket full of produce
An image showed the barefoot youngster, with her long red hair down and covering her face, being held in Harry’s arms as he looks at her.
Meghan is standing next to Harry with her arm on his shoulder, also smiling at the princess.
The Duchess wrote in the post: ‘Our dream girl. Happy 5th birthday, Lili’ followed by a white heart emoji.
She also shared another photo showing Lilibet standing barefoot on the grass in the sunshine, wearing a summer dress.
Lilibet is reaching out to touch the flowers of a blue-purple agapanthus – which is commonly known as Lily of the Nile or African Lily.
Lilibet was born on June 4, 2021 in the US and was named Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
She became entitled to be a princess only when Charles acceded to the throne, because of rules set out by King George V in 1917.
Harry and Meghan started using prince and princess for Archie and Lilibet after the Princess’s christening in 2023, following correspondence with King Charles III about the matter.
