Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are known for diligently shielding their two children, Prince Archie, now six, and Princess Lilibet, now four, from the public eye. While the couple, who reside in Montecito, California, typically share only minimal glimpses of their children, often reserving such moments for celebratory occasions like birthdays, they recently offered a rare insight into their family life.

On Wednesday, June 4th, to commemorate Princess Lilibet's fourth birthday, her mother, Meghan Markle, 43, took to her recently active Instagram account. She shared a heartfelt tribute consisting of two previously unseen black-and-white photographs of her daughter. The first image captures a tender moment with Meghan and Lilibet sharing a sweet hug, reportedly taken by the sea or during a boat trip, with Lilibet appearing in a sundress with a geometric pattern and both mother and daughter having windswept hair. The second photograph shows Meghan cradling Lilibet as a tiny newborn while lying down in bed.

The proud mother of two accompanied the photos with a touching caption: "Happy birthday to our beautiful girl! Four years ago today she came into our lives - and each day is brighter and better because of it. Thanks to all of those sending love and celebrating her special day!" Consistent with other posts on Meghan's Instagram, the comments section was disabled, though many Sussex fans have often commented on how much little Lilibet resembles her father, Prince Harry.

Princess Lilibet Diana was born in the United States on June 4, 2021. Her first name, Lilibet, is an affectionate homage to her great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, whose family nickname was Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen in honor of her late paternal grandmother, Princess Diana.

Lilibet's older brother, Prince Archie Harrison, was born in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2019, when his parents were still working members of the royal family. He celebrated his sixth birthday last month.

This birthday tribute is part of a recent trend where Meghan has been sharing more personal insights into her life as a mother. For instance, to mark Mother's Day in the United States last month, the former "Suits" star uploaded a beautiful photo of Archie and Lilibet hugging her. She penned at the time, "To these two gems - who still attempt to climb ‘mama mountain’, smother me with kisses, and make every day the most memorable adventure….being your mom is the greatest privilege of my life."

Furthermore, in March, Meghan spoke with People magazine about her aspirations to build a "legacy" for her children and what it means to her to be a working mother. She detailed, "Being able to have my own little girl, as I’ve spent so much of my life championing the rights of girls and women, and to be able to see this as a multigenerational story — Archie is of course included in that, my husband is of course included in that. I love the heritage feeling of it and knowing this is something that I can create in front of my daughter and teach her what it’s like to be a working mom. This is something that hopefully can be part of her legacy too."