Why Kate Middleton and Prince William will miss Lilibet's first birthday

Kate Middleton and Prince William will be unable to attend Lilibet's first birthday celebrations next week as they are set to embark on a special Jubilee trip. 

• Lilibet Diana, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter, is set to meet the royal family for the first time at the weekend as she pays a visit for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
• Unfortunately, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are scheduled to go to Cardiff as part of the festivities, which means they won't be around for Lilibet's big day.
• This royal news comes after the Queen faced a new personal blow after she pulled out of an event close to her heart.

Lilibet Diana is scheduled to meet key members of the royal family for the first time, including her great-grandmother the Queen at the weekend.

Members of The Firm will be paying tribute to Her Majesty's incredible achievement of 70 years on the throne, with Harry and Meghan flying over from LA with Archie and Lilibet to celebrate.

The weekend will also see Lilibet turn one year old on June 4th, however Prince William and Kate Middleton won't be around to spend time with the Sussexes on the sweet day.

The Cambridges are expected to visit Cardiff Castle in Wales on Saturday to meet performers and crew members for a special Platinum Jubilee Celebration Concert taking place later that afternoon in the castle grounds.

This means the pair will miss Lilibet's first birthday, and they are unlikely to see her on the actual day.

That isn't to say the day will be anything less of magical for the little girl. The Queen invited Harry and Meghan to her Jubilee Celebrations in an effort to 'extend an olive branch' after months of family tension over their plan to stand down from their royal roles and go to California in 2020.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born on June 4, 2021, in Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, with a name that pays homage to both the Queen's childhood nickname and Prince Harry's late mother, Princess Diana.

The Sussexes are expected to attend the Queen's big birthday procession, Trooping the Colour, on Thursday 2nd June.

They won't be on the balcony, but they could be in the carriage parade along the Mall. Given their ages, Archie and Lili might watch their parents from the Buckingham Palace windows, as other young royals have done in the past.