The Duchess of Sussex said her daughter “really likes trying to be a grown-up lady”

Meghan Markle with her daughter, Princess Lilibet.Credit : Jake Rosenberg/Netflix; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s daughter, Princess Lilibet, is only 4 — but according to her mother, she’s growing up fast.

In the Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix special, With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration, she shares some of her favorite tips and tricks for entertaining and celebrating over the holidays.

During one segment, Meghan, 44, and restaurateur and hospitality expert Will Guidara sit down in her craft room to make Christmas “crackers,” a beloved British holiday tradition. Each cracker consists of a cardboard tube covered in festive wrapping, tied off at both ends. When the ends are pulled, a friction-reactive strip of paper “snaps,” creating a loud sound as it splits in two.

Inside is a sweet treat or message, and sometimes, a paper crown for the “winner” to wear for the rest of the festivities.

“Living in the U.K., it’s just such a big part of [the culture over there]. For Christmas holidays, for sure,” Meghan shared with Will. “Typically, people cross arms and do it. So they sit around the table, and they all pull at the same time. It does feel really connected and sweet.”

Prince Harry, Prince Archie, Meghan Markle and Princess Lilibet at Disneyland in 2025.Meghan Markle /Instagram

Meghan custom-made a cracker for each member of her family, with Lilibet getting a “grown-up” gift in hers.

“Lili really likes trying to be a grown-up lady at the moment, so this is, like, a lavender roller ball,” she shared, wrapping the gift in the cracker.

Meanwhile, Harry gets a love letter and a bit of chocolate, while 6-year-old Prince Archie’s cracker centers on his love for hamburgers and the color red.

With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration also features Meghan crafting with tennis champion Naomi Osaka, cooking gumbo for chef and Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio, and enjoying a festive brunch with her longtime friends Kelly McKee Zajfen and author-producer Lindsay Roth. Prince Harry makes a brief cameo towards the end of the hour, sharing a sweet kiss with his wife as he helps himself to some of the treats in their kitchen.

“I love the holiday season,” the Duchess of Sussex said in the show. “It’s about finding time to connect with the people we love, embracing traditions and making new ones.”

The special coincides with the release of the first holiday collection from Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As even, and some of the products from the new launch — which included sparkling wines, hand-poured candles, artisanal fruit spreads and golden California honey — appear in Holiday Celebration as part of her hosting spread.

Lilibet and Archie recently went on a surprise outing with their parents, joining them as they volunteered at Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles (OBKLA), preparing meals for food-insecure members of the local community.

Photos from the event show Archie and Lili — their faces hidden under baseball caps — joining their parents on the packaging line as they rolled up balls of dough. Meghan showed off the finished product on her Instagram Stories along with the caption, “Show up, do good.”

In a holiday-themed interview with Marie Claire last year, Meghan marveled at how much she enjoys making new memories with her kids as they grow and appreciate the magic of the holidays.

“Now we’re at the age where I just can’t wait to see it through their lens every year,” she said. “We’re always making sure we have something fun to do.”