Princess Lilibet Tackles Advanced Strategy Skill at Age 5 Under Meghan Markle’s Guidance
Meghan Markle has consistently encouraged her young daughter to aim high in life, and she is now introducing Princess Lilibet to one of her personal favorite intellectual pastimes at an exceptionally early age. According to insights confirmed by HELLO!, the 45-year-old Duchess of Sussex has been actively teaching her five-year-old daughter the intricacies of Mahjong, the traditional tile-based strategy game renowned for its mental rigor.
Originating in 19th-century China, Mahjong requires players to craft complex winning hands from an initial draw of 13 tiles, demanding a sophisticated balance of pattern recognition, long-term calculation, and calculated risk. Because of its structural intricacy, educators and game makers typically recommend the pastime for children aged eight and above, with full tournament sets explicitly geared toward ages 12 and up. Lili’s early immersion into the high-level tabletop discipline stands as a remarkably advanced cognitive pursuit for a preschooler.
The revelation surfaced shortly after Meghan posted an affectionate family tribute celebrating Prince Harry’s 42nd birthday, featuring an image of Lilibet riding in a golf cart while sporting a £62 jeweled Mahjong-themed knotted headband. Meghan accompanied the rare domestic photo dump with a declaration calling Harry “simply the best,” showing snapshots of family ski trips, Archie painting alongside his father, and the children playing with their pet dog, Pula. The joyful birthday tribute arrived mere hours after reports broke that both Sussex children were compelled to switch schools after just two days of classes due to elevated security protocols.
Lilibet’s early introduction to the game naturally reflects her mother’s deep personal passion, as the Duchess famously celebrated her own 45th birthday in August with a custom Mahjong-decorated cake. In her recent Netflix docuseries, Meghan candidly documented how she and a close circle of Montecito friends formed their own competitive hobby circle, playfully branding themselves the “Maj Squad.” With close allies like Kelly McKee Zajfen and Tracy Robbins regularly meeting for evening game sessions, young Princess Lilibet has now officially become the group’s youngest and most unexpected apprentice.