King Charles in silent pain as rift with Harry keeps him from Princess Lilibet

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle marked the fourth birthday of their little daughter, Princess Lilibet, on June 4th, with the Duchess posting adorable snaps and videos on her social media to mark the occasion.

However, one key family member missing from the occasion is King Charles, who, an expert said, would have been heartbroken on missing his granddaughrer’s big day.

As per The Mirror, the King is believed to have only met Lilibet once, during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

Speaking on the matter, royal expert Jennie Bond called the situation “incredibly sad” and said these childhood moments are precious and once gone, cannot be brought back.

"Her birthday is mid-week, so I assume it will be a school day for Lilibet, but I’m sure there’ll be time for a tea party or celebration of some kind,” she told The Mirror.

The expert added, "Kids’ birthdays are always fun and I think Meghan is the sort of person who will put a great deal of effort and care into making the day extremely magical for her little girl.

"I’m sure it will all be picture perfect. Having just celebrated the fourth birthday of my own granddaughter - the smiles, the laughter, the love and the fun - I can only imagine the pain that Charles must feel when he thinks about all he is missing.

“These are years and occasions that cannot be relived and, once passed, they are gone forever. It’s incredibly sad."

On why Meghan shared photos of her kids, Prince Archie and Lilibet, on Instagram, she said, "I suppose Meghan is showing the children more on Instagram because she knows there is a public appetite for photos of them.

“But she’s being very coy about allowing us to see what they really look like. That’s fair enough, if she wants to protect their privacy - though you could certainly argue that there’s a very fine line between using them to publicise her Instagram account and her determination to keep their family life private.”