While Britain celebrated Queen Elizabeth II with a spectacular Platinum Jubilee earlier this month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took a break from part of the monarch’s four-day festivities to celebrate her namesake.
On June 4, Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle marked daughter Lilibet’s first birthday at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, not far from the site of their 2018 wedding. But the location of the tot’s birthday bash isn’t what really harkened back to Harry and Meghan’s special day.
There was a far sweeter connection.
When Lilibet turned 1, the birthday cake served up in her honor also honored her parents' wedding with its rare-but-familiar flavor combination.
That’s because pastry chef Claire Ptak, who made Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake, also made Lilibet’s confection.
"The inside was the Amalfi lemon and elderflower cake I created for the Duke and Duchess’s wedding in 2018," Ptak wrote in an Instagram caption that accompanied a photo of her latest creation. "But this time we covered it with a strawberry buttercream specially for Lilibet."
Also, like the cake she made for the duke and duchess, Ptak decorated the two-tier treat in fresh florals.
In another post, she explained, "It was an absolute pleasure to make this special cake last week for Lilibet’s birthday. Wishing her a very happy year ahead!"
And that seemed to mirror the enthusiasm she felt about the 2018 cake.
“I can’t tell you how delighted I am to be chosen to make Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s wedding cake,” Ptak said in a statement released before the wedding. “Knowing that they really share the same values as I do about food provenance, sustainability, seasonality and most importantly flavour, makes this the most exciting event to be a part of.”