Royal fans have floated a bizarre conspiracy theory after hearing Princess Lilibet’s American accent in video shared to social media by her mother, Meghan Markle.
On Saturday, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, posted a video on Instagram in which she can be heard asking Lilibet, three, what she thinks of her strawberry jam while preparing a fresh batch of the sweet treat at their home in Montecito, California.
‘I think it’s beautiful,’ the toddler gushed, as her Californian accent shone through in the clearest footage to date of the three-year-old speaking.
Many were quick to remark on the striking resemblance between her voice and that of a character from a 1944 film starring Judy Garland, while some even questioned whether they were hearing Lili’s real voice and not a line from the film.
Writing on X, dozens of fans drew comparison between Lilibet’s voice and that of movie character Tootie, played by Margaret O’Brien in the American Christmas musical, Meet Me In St Louis.
The film is set in St Louis in 1903 and stars Judy Garland, Tom Drake and Margaret O’Brien – who played the Tootie, a character based on author Sally Benson’s childhood.
Tootie is the a five-year-old girl who is one of four daughter to the Smiths. The plot of the film follows the girls as they prepare to make the move from St Louis in Missouri to New York.
Fans compared the young royals voice to that actress, Margaret O’Brien’s in the movie, with many describing an ‘exact’ likeness between the two.
On Saturday, Meghan shared a selection of previously unseen snaps of her ‘little loves’ Archie and Lilibet picking flowers (pictured)
Writing on X, dozens of fans drew comparison between Lilibet’s voice and that of movie character Tootie, played by Margaret O’Brien in the American Christmas musical, Meet Me In St Louis
Writing on X, one wrote: ‘M&H’s [Meghan and Prince Harry] daughter sounds like Tootie from Meet Me In St Louis’.
Agreeing with the post, another responded: ‘Someone mentioned this, in another post, but she sounds exactly like Tootie in Meet Me In St Louis.’
‘Take a listen to Tootie, the youngest sister in Meet Me In St Louis – tell me that’s not the same voice,’ a second said.
‘It took me a few minutes, but I knew I’d heard that voice before, and then it came to me too. I’ve watched Meet Me In St Louis many times and it’s absolutely Margaret O’Brien as Tootie.’
Directed by Vincente Minnelli, Meet Me In St Louis was released in 1944 starring Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien, who was six at the time and earned Academy Award for outstanding child actress for the part.
The plot of the film followed the Smith family as they get ready for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and decide against moving to New York.
Margaret, who is now 88-years-old, hails from San Diego in California, which is around a three-hour drive from the Sussexses’ home in Montecito.
Since relaunching her Instagram account on New Year’s Day, Meghan has routinely shared glimpses of her life in Montecito, California – including pictures and videos of her and Prince Harry’s two children, Lilibet and Prince Archie.
Writing on X, dozens of fans drew comparison between Lilibet’s voice and that of movie character Tootie, played by Margaret O’Brien in the American Christmas musical, Meet Me In St Louis
On Saturday, the Duchess of Sussex , 43, posted a video on Instagram in which she can be heard asking Lilibet what she thinks of her strawberry jam while preparing a fresh batch of the sweet treat
The first time royal fans heard Lilibet’s voice was in January 2025, when the Duchess posted an emotional tribute in memory of the Sussexes’ late beagle, Guy, on social media.
Meghan’s video included a tender moment of the royal children singing to the beloved pooch as well as a clip of Prince Archie and Guy that was taken during a car journey.
It appears that both Lilibet and Archie, five, have developed strong American accents since moving stateside; at one point, viewers can hear Archie say ‘he might fall’ with a pronounced twang while referring to the family’s beloved dog.
Meghan’s latest Instagram video comes after she attended the Time100 Summit on Thursday.
Shortly after the video was posted on Meghan’s Instagram account, the royal shared a selection of previously unseen snaps of her ‘little loves’ Archie and Lilibet picking flowers.
The Duchess of Sussex, shared a slideshow of photographs that showed her two children helping her select pink roses from a bush, alongside the caption: ‘Sunday kind of love….with my little loves.’
Princess Lilibet was seen with her hair down and wearing a pink top, while Prince Archie wore a navy blue, long-sleeved shirt.
In addition to the sweet video of Lilibet, Meghan also shared a video of he son, Archie, five, revealing a sneak peak into their ‘cosy weekend’.
Princess Lilibet’s adorable American accent was heard for the first time as the three-year-old gave her one-word verdict on mother Meghan Markle’s £10 jam
Meghan with her children in a promotional photo for her lifestyle brand, As Ever
The video opens with a shot of the fish pond located on Harry and Meghan’s sprawling $14m Montecito estate as Archie can be heard excitedly asking his ‘mama’ to watch him feed the koi.
‘Mama, watch it!’ he says enthusiastically. ‘I just fed it!’
Meghan, laughing, replies: ‘Good job, that’s enough.’
Since her return to Instagram this year, fans of the Sussexes have been able to learn more about the family as Meghan now features Archie and Lilibet in her Stories – though she does not show their faces.
In February, Meghan shared a Valentine’s Day post that included a video of the former Suits actress making themed bagels with Archie and Lilibet – much to the delight of her fans.
Ahead of the premiere of her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan in March, Meghan shared a photo of her and Lilibet being joined by ‘Auntie’ Serena Williams for a game of Candy Land.
Many of the posts Meghan shared on Instagram featuring glimpses of the children were in the run-up to the release of With Love, Meghan. The video Meghan shared featuring Lilibet (alongside Serena Williams) was tagged with the caption: ‘3 days until the party begins. All are invited @Netflix.’
Archie and Lilibet were also featured briefly in a short clip played when Meghan appeared on the Drew Barrymore show at the beginning of March.
During the episode, the Duchess revealed she had enlisted her children to help in the kitchen as she baked hundreds of cookies for guests attending the Drew Barrymore Show.
A clip of her working on the desserts then flashed across the screen, and it showed her and Prince Harry’s two young children lending a hand.
Then separate video Meghan shared featured Archie’s voice, as he helped her to water some plants.