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Princess Lilibet, 5, Looks More Like Prince Harry Than Ever

“The Spencer gene is very, very strong.”

Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

PublishedJun 4, 2026, 8:31 PM EDT

UpdatedJun 4, 2026, 8:33 PM EDT

Updated Jun 4, 2026, 8:33 PM EDTPublished Jun 4, 2026, 8:31 PM EDT

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest photos of Princess Lilibet suggest the young royal resembles her father more than ever.

​In celebration of Lilibet’s fifth birthday, the couple posted a carousel on Instagram.

In the first image, Markle, 44, and Harry, 41, smile down at their youngest child. In the second, Lilibet examines purple blooms in a flower garden.

“Our dream girl. Happy 5th birthday, Lili,” the caption reads.

The couple, who married in 2018, welcomed Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in 2021. Her birth came two years after the birth of their son, Prince Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

Markle rarely posts front-facing photos of her children, so the birthday post was no exception.

Even so, what is visible in the photo is Princess Lilibet’s elbow-length hair in the same fiery red ginger shade as her father’s.

​The redheaded gene is strong in their family, with Prince Archie also inheriting his father’s strawberry-blond hue.

​Harry has acknowledged the resemblance and hinted that the genes originated not with his father, King Charles III, but with his mother, the late Princess Diana, who died in 1997.

While Diana is one of history’s most famous blondes, Harry credits her side of the family for the gene.

In a 2023 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert asked Harry about his mother’s legacy.

“Your daughter Lilibet is named in [Diana’s] honor,” Colbert said, holding up a family photo. “Having children helps us remember those that we’ve lost. Do you see your mother or your parents in your children?”

“Definitely my mum,” Harry answered. “The ginger gene is a strong one; the Spencer gene is very, very strong.”

He continued, “I actually really genuinely thought at the beginning of my relationship that should this go the distance and we have kids, then there’s no way that the ginger gene will stand up to my wife’s genes, but I was wrong.”

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Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

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