Princess Lilibet’s Little Mermaid-themed cake might have had a deeper meaning considering her mother, Meghan Markle’s connection with the iconic Disney movie. 

The Duchess of Sussex,  43, marked Lilibet’s fourth birthday online with a series of Instagram posts last week, including documenting the Sussexes’s family holiday to Disneyland for the occasion. 

On Friday, Meghan shared a video montage from their two-day visit to the Happiest Place on Earth, as the family-of-four enjoyed the different rides on offer and tucked into corndogs. 

The Reel also included a glimpse of Lilibet’s Little Mermaid cake covered in pastel blue frosting and decorated with an Ariel cake topper, as the famous Disney character with red hair was perched on the top tier of the birthday treat. 

The choice of confectionery took on a special significance in light of Meghan’s bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, when she sensationally claimed there were ‘concerns’ within the Royal Family about her and Prince Harry’s son, Archie’s skin colour. 

During the bombshell interview, one year after ‘Megxit’, Meghan also compared herself to the protagonist of The Little Mermaid who ‘falls in love with the prince and bacause of that she loses her voice’. 

Meghan, who was pregnant with Lilibet at the time, told the broadcaster she saw parallels between Princess Ariel’s character and her own life since meeting her real-life prince, Harry. 

‘I was sitting in Nottingham cottage and The Little Mermaid came on,’ she began. 

Princess Lilibet’s Little Mermaid-themed cake might have had a deeper meaning considering her mother, Meghan Markle’s connection with the iconic Disney movie

The Duchess of Sussex , 43, marked Lilibet’s fourth birthday online with a series of Instagram posts last week, including documenting the Sussexes’s family holiday to Disneyland for the occasion

The choice of confectionery took on a special significance in light of Meghan’s bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, when she compared herself to Princess Ariel who ‘falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice’

‘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.”

‘And I went, “Oh my God she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice,”‘ Meghan continued, reflecting on her time as a senior member of the Royal Family.  ‘But in the end she gets her voice back.’ 

Harry and Meghan, who wed in 2018, quit The Firm and relocated stateside to Montecito, California, in 2020, in a splintering of the Royal Family that has been  dubbed ‘Megxit’. 

The Sussexes spoke about their decision in a two-hour CBS special that was broadcast on the one-year anniversary of their move to the United States, as Harry and Meghan made a number of controversial claims about the institution. 

At one point, the Duchess considered how her life had played out exactly like Princess Ariel, the famous Disney mermaid who falls in love with a human prince and trades her voice in order to be with him on land. 

The rebellious sea princess strikes a deal with the sea witch Ursula that gives her three days as a human to win over Eric’s love and seal their union with a ‘true love’s kiss’ – or return to her mermaid form and become Ursula’s captive. 

In the end, the sea witch is defeated, Ariel gets her voice back and is changed into a human permanently so she can live happily ever after with her prince.

Reacting to Meghan’s admission about feeling ‘silenced’ about her alleged treatment after she married Harry – and the couple’s eventual decision to quit the Royal Family – Oprah said: ‘And this is what happened here. 

Speaking to Oprah, the Duchess considered how her life had played out exactly like Princess Ariel, the famous Disney mermaid who falls in love with a human prince and trades her voice in order to be with him on land.

‘You feel like you got your voice back.’ 

Meghan replied: ‘Yeah.’ 

She later told Oprah that her and Prince Harry’s love story has been ‘greater than any fairytale you’ve ever read’. 

Harry and Meghan celebrated their daughter Lilibet’s fourth birthday on June 4, as the Duchess shared the clearest glimpse of the toddler since 2022 in photos shared on her main Instagram page. 

In the snaps, Lilibet’s eyes and the top half of her face were visible, with her nose and mouth covered by Meghan’s arms as she hugs the princess – who is seventh in line to the throne.  

A second image also posted by Meghan showed her tenderly cradling newborn Lili shortly after her birth in 2021. 

Her caption read: ‘Four years ago today she came into our lives – and each day is brighter and better because of it. Thanks to all of those sending love and celebrating her special day!’

Meghan and Prince Harry have not shared an official portrait of Lilibet’s face since her first birthday in June 2022 during a picnic at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

Meghan Markle, 43, and husband Prince Harry, 40, whisked themselves and their two kids, Archie, six, and Lillibet, four, away for a memorable family trip to Disneyland

One snippet showed both Lillibet and Archie having the chance to meet Disney princess Elsa from Frozen

Meghan and Harry’s kids also had fun on some rides at the amusement park such as Dumbo the Flying Elephant and the Cars ride

The couple – who tied the knot in 2018 – were spotted having a blast of their own as they sat at the front while on Space Mountain together

In the caption, Meghan penned to her 3.6 million followers: ‘Thank you @disneyland for giving our family two days of pure joy!’

The photo was reminiscent of a now famous photo of Diana, Harry and William riding a log flume at Thorpe Park in 1993 

Lilibet, who is named her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, was born in Santa Barbara after the couple quit royal life and moved to California.

Harry and Meghan also share six-year-old Prince Archie, who was born at the Portland Hospital in London in May 2019 while the pair were working royals.

In a separate post, Meghan uploaded a snap of her husband Harry gently holding Lillibet when she was a newborn. 

Another picture showed the pair walking down a dirt path barefeet, while holding hands, at a scenic tropical location. 

‘The sweetest bond to watch unfold. Daddy’s little girl and favorite adventurer. Happy birthday Lili!’ Meghan captioned her post. 

She rounded out Lilibet’s birthday posts with a medley of photos and videos from Disneyland set to Peggy Lee’s song ‘It’s A Good Day’ – including an adorable clip of Lilibet meeting Disney princess Elsa from Frozen. 

Meghan’s caption read: ‘Thank you @disneyland for giving our family two days of pure joy!’

Harry and Meghan also seemingly paid tribute to Princess Diana during their family holiday. 

A second image also posted today by Meghan showed her tenderly cradling newborn Princess Lilibet as she enjoyed skin-to-skin time with the new addition to her family in 2021. 

The last official portrait of Princess Lilibet’s face was taken on her first birthday in June 2022

In one photo shared from the visit, they appeared to be enjoying a ride on the updated Splash Mountain ride, now known as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, with Harry sat at the back, Meghan at the front, and Archie, seven, and Lili sandwiched between them.

The adorable family moment echoed a snap of Princess Diana with Harry and his older brother Prince William from a visit to Thorpe Park in April 1993, as they were pictured laughing together after getting splashed by the water ride.

The picture has become one of the most famous of the late princess and her two sons.

Diana had also visited Disneyland with an eight-year-old Harry earlier that year – and were again pictured giggling as they rode Splash Mountain. 

They were given a ride on Splash Mountain and were escorted through Disney’s secret tunnels for VIPs – with the visit coming just months after her separation from Charles.