From Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee plans to a new photo of possible names for Baby Sussex, there was a lot of news about the royals this week. It wouldn't be surprising if you missed some of the biggest royal headlines. A quick scroll will have you all caught up on everything coming out of Buckingham Palace.
Meghan Markle & Prince Harry hint which names they like for their daughter.
Back in 2018, Harry and Meghan went on their first official royal tour together, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga. During an engagement in Melbourne, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex met a well-wisher with a baby named Harriet. Harry, of course, took a liking to the moniker as it's the female version of his own name. The Duke reportedly told Harriet's mom: "That's a great name." This name would align nicely with their son's name—Archie Harrison—whose middle name means "son of Harry."
Later on in Meghan's first pregnancy, Harry and Meghan visited the English town of Birkenhead on an official visit. While chatting wth a 7-year-old girl named Megan Dudley, Meghan got another name suggestion. "I asked her whether she would call her baby Amy if she has a girl, and she said, 'That's a really pretty name, I like it. We'll have to think about it,'" the student later told the press. On that same trip, Harry expressed interest in the name Lily. He even asked one of the mothers which spelling of the name she used for her own daughter.
Lily remains a popular choice for Baby Sussex with British oddsmakers. Should Harry and Meghan name their daughter Lily, it's believed it will be in tribute to Queen Elizabeth as Her Majesty was known as 'Lilbet' as a child.
Another popular choice withs oddsmakers is Phillipa—the feminine version of Philip. "The support for baby Philippa is showing no signs of slowing down, and we've been forced to trim the odds again that it's the name for Harry and Meghan's daughter," Jessica O'Reilly of Ladbrokes told People. Should Harry and Meghan name their daughter after the late Prince Philip, they wouldn't be the only members of the Royal Family to have done so. Harry's cousins Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall both welcomed sons this year and both newborns were given the middle name Philip.
Kate Middleton shows off her impressive art skills.
Kate showed off her artistic ability following her official tour of Scotland last week. She visited the county with her husband, Prince William, and the pair even stopped by some of their favorite Scottish haunts from their days as students at St. Andrew's University. To thank the Scottish people for their hospitality, William and Kate sent thank you cards. The front of the card donned an original sketch of St. Andrew's from the Duchess of Cambridge, which she drew back in 2002.
William and Kate shared the unique thank you note on social media, as well. "To the people, communities and organizations we visited and heard from; and those who stopped to wave and make our return to Scotland so special - thank you!" The Cambridge's Instagram caption read.
Human remains were discovered near Harry and Meghan's home.
Human remains were discovered "mere feet" from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's property in Montecito, California this week, according to TMZ. The Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office confirmed the discovery of the human remains, which are thought to be "very old."
The bones were discovered on the grounds of a neighboring property. The discovery was made by a construction crew while working on a landscaping job in the Sussexes' neighborhood.
The unearthed remains were buried about three feet underground. They are believed to be the remains of a young indigenous person, possibly of the Chumash tribe. The Chumash tribe inhabited the central and southern coastal regions of California. Their history in the region dates back thousands of years.
The sheriff's office reportedly brought in forensic anthropologists to consult on the recovery of the bones. It's possible these remains could be about 11,000 years old.
Harry and Meghan's home sits adjacent to the road on which these potentially historic remains were uncovered. At this time, they have not commented publicly on the nearby recovery efforts.
New report exposes racist hiring practices within Buckingham Palace.
According to a new report from The Guardian, documents show that in 1968 Buckingham Palace noted “it was not, in fact, the practice to appoint coloured immigrants or foreigners” to serve in clerical roles within the Palace, though people of color could work as domestic servants.
The practice of banning immigrants and people of color from those roles continued at least through the late 1960s. The Guardian reported that the Palace “refused to answer questions about the ban and when it was revoked,” though the Palace added that “its records showed people from ethnic minority backgrounds being employed in the 1990s.” Before then, Buckingham said it didn’t record the race of its employees.
Harry and Meghan will be invited to Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee—AKA 70 years on the throne—next year. On Wednesday (June 2), Buckingham Palace announced a number of big plans for the occasion, including a four-day weekend for the whole country.
As the longest-serving monarch in Britain's history, Her Majesty is the first to reach the milestone of a Platinum Jubilee. The royals will celebrate the special occasion with Trooping the Colour, a parade through London in honor of Queen Elizabeth. The parade will kick off the holiday weekend on June 2 next year.
As the Platinum Jubilee is such a significant milestone for Her Majesty, many have wondered whether Queen Elizabeth would invite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to participate. Multiple sources confirmed to Page Six that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be invited.
“Of course they’re invited, it’s a family event!” one insider told the outlet, adding that both Harry and his older brother, Prince William, wore their "Jubilee medals" to Prince Philip's funeral in April. Another source added Harry and Meghan will “absolutely” get an invitation and won’t be “iced out" from the special occasion.
Photo: Getty