Meghan Markle and Prince Harry marked their daughter Princess Lilibet's fourth birthday with a trip to Disneyland, drawing renewed attention for what appeared to be a symbolic nod to the Duchess's contentious past with the British royal family. Among the most closely watched details of the celebration was Lilibet's birthday cake: a pastel blue, tiered dessert adorned with a figurine of Ariel from The Little Mermaid-a character Meghan has previously likened to herself.
The Sussexes, now based in California after stepping down from senior royal duties in 2020, shared highlights of their family's two-day visit to the Anaheim theme park on Instagram last week. The montage showed Meghan, Prince Harry, Prince Archie, and Lilibet enjoying rides and snacks, including corndogs and ice cream. But it was the birthday cake that sparked interest among royal watchers and media outlets.
The cake's Ariel topper drew a direct connection to Meghan's remarks in her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which she said the animated Disney film had unexpectedly resonated with her while she was living at Nottingham Cottage, the couple's U.K. residence on the Kensington Palace estate.
"I was sitting in Nottingham cottage and The Little Mermaid came on," Meghan told Winfrey. "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.'"
She continued: "And I went, 'Oh my God she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice.'"
The Duchess said she saw herself in Ariel's narrative arc, likening the surrender of her public role and voice to the sea princess's fateful bargain with Ursula. "But in the end she gets her voice back," Meghan added. When Winfrey followed up, asking if that was how Meghan viewed her own experience since relocating to California, she replied simply, "Yeah."
The birthday cake imagery, viewed in this context, was interpreted by multiple outlets including DailyMail as a subtle assertion that Meghan continues to reclaim her public identity following a turbulent departure from royal life.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex now reside in Montecito with their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 4. Their social media post marked one of the rare public glimpses into the family's private life, particularly amid ongoing tensions between the Sussexes and the royal institution.
