A royal wave! Meghan cuddles up with Lilibet as they greet performers in 4th July parade

Meghan Markle can be seen cuddling up with her daughter Lilibet as they wave to performers in a 4th of July parade in a new video shared on social media this week.  

The two-year-old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was pictured with Harry at an Independence Day parade in Montecito just hours before her grandfather King Charles III attended his second Coronation ceremony in Edinburgh. 

Princess Lilibet wore a patterned blue dress, white socks and red shoes, and was seen peering out at the motorcade as it passed during the California celebration on July 4.

And in a clip shared on Instagram, the Duchess can be seen crouching to the ground as she holds her daughter while they watch the parade. 

While Meghan and Lilibet beamed as they waved to the parade, Prince Harry could be seen chatting to others in the group. 

In a clip shared by a local hotel on Instagram, the Duchess can be seen crouching to the ground as she holds her daughter while they watch the parade

The Duke was previously pictured introducing his youngest child to the American holiday, which sees countless US flags, cheering crowds and parties across the nation.

Carrying his precious daughter in his arms, Harry appeared to be trying to keep a low profile as he wore blue jeans, a green shirt, a green cap pulled over his face and sunglasses.

Meanwhile Meghan was dressed in a simple shirt and light-wash jeans for the occasion.  

The Duke appeared to underline his retirement from The Firm as he took his daughter to the California celebration on July 4, as the US marked its independence from British rule. 

But as he was showing two-year-old Lilibet the Montecito Association’s Village Road Show, his father King Charles was preparing for one of the most important moments of his rule: a second Coronation in the country his beloved second son once called home.

Accompanied by family members including Harry’s brother Prince William, the King and Queen Camilla were honoured in a prestigious event at St Giles’ Cathedral, attended by senior royals. But the Duke himself was nowhere to be seen.

Prince Harry did attend his father’s official Coronation, the first in the UK in 70 years, but was only on UK soil for a matter of hours before he returned to the US to celebrate his son Archie’s birthday, which fell on the same day. 

Meghan and their two children remained in the US at their Montecito home.

Sources previously said the decision by Meghan to remain in California had come as a relief in some circles, following fears her presence could have heightened family tensions. 

The Duke of Sussex was seen keeping a low profile as he stood among crowds celebrating Independence Day in the US

The Montecito parade saw brightly coloured cars take part with USA-themed decorations

MailOnline earlier reported it was not believed the Duke would be in the UK to attend the event in a possible sign of how frosty relations between the two sides of the Atlantic remain.

Charles was last week presented with the crown jewels of Scotland in a historic thanksgiving service, that came eight weeks after his Coronation in London.

The monarch received the Crown of Scotland, the Sceptre and the Sword of State of the Honours of Scotland at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.

In echoes of his Coronation in London in May, crowds of thousands of people gathered to cheer their new monarch as he took part in the sacred celebrations, watched by Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Being born in June 2021, Lilibet has spent her entire life in California where the Sussexes moved after they withdrew from royal life.

She has visited the UK on one occasion for the Jubilee, and also celebrated her first birthday with a picnic at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. 

In March, the Sussexes confirmed Princess Lilibet had been christened in Montecito, California, after reports of an ‘intimate’ gathering at the Sussexes’ mansion appeared in People Magazine.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex previously released this picture of Lilibet at Frogmore Cottage where she celebrated her first birthday

Lilibet (right) has visited the UK on one occasion for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022

It was also confirmed that King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales were invited to the event but did not attend.

In May, Prince Harry arrived in the UK for a day to watch his father be crowned amid a high-profile feud between himself and Meghan Markle and the rest of the Royal Family.

The Duke of Sussex seemed keen to put on a jovial display at Westminster Abbey as he chatted to Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice and their husbands Jack Brooksbank and Edo Mapelli Mozzi.

It followed months of turmoil following the publication of Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare, which reportedly left some members of the family, most notably his brother William, reeling. 

The Prince has demanded an apology from members of his family over the way he says they have treated his wife.