Was godfather Tyler Perry behind decision to christen Lilibet at home?

Actor Tyler Perry is one of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s most loyal supporters, and after he was revealed as their daughter Lilibet’s godfather, it raises the question of whether the couple may have planned their house baptism around him.

The actor, 53, who said he was ‘honored’ to be asked by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to be Lilibet’s godfather last year, enjoyed an afternoon of eating and dancing with the family after flying off on a private jet on Friday flown in and a 10-piece gospel choir from his home in Atlanta.

During the party, the choir serenaded 20-30 guests with songs including Oh Happy Day and This Little Light of Mine – which were also played at Harry and Meghan’s wedding, People reported.

The Sussexes held the party for Lilibet in Santa Barbara, where Perry was a key guest as her godfather — and in December, when the Hollywood titan appeared in the couple’s Netflix documentary, he revealed he only agreed to be godfather to be if he didn’t. are required to travel to the UK for a baptism.

The billionaire filmmaker suggested he didn’t want to partake in the pomp and circumstance of a traditional royal ceremony, telling the couple’s Netflix docuseries that he didn’t want to do all that in church with them and figure it all out. that out’.

Speaking of when Harry and Meghan asked him to be godfather, Perry recalled, “They were pretty serious on the phone and I was like ‘okay what’s going on,’ and they were like, ‘Well, we’d like you to be Lili’s godfather.’

“I had to take a moment to take that in and I thought I would be honored, absolutely honored.”

However, after thinking about what his role as godfather might entail, Perry said he made it clear to the couple that he didn’t want to travel to the UK to take part in a traditional christening ceremony with the royals.

The Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of Sussex reportedly had an intimate ceremony at their mansion (pictured at the 2020 Invictus Games)

Perry said he was ‘honoured’ to be asked by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last year to be Lilibets (pictured) godfather

“I put the phone down and took it all in and then I called them back and said, ‘Wait a minute, does that mean we have to go over there and do all that in church with them and figure that all out? Because I don’t want that.’

“Maybe we can have a private ceremony here and leave it at that and if you have to do it there, that’s okay.”

The director added that he would have preferred a private ceremony in California.

Last weekend, Perry, who loaned the Sussexes his $18 million (£15 million) mansion in Beverly Hills in 2020, was spotted arriving at their $14.7 million (£12 million) home in Montecito.

Perry, who reportedly donned a suit for the occasion, traveled with a bodyguard.

He was spotted getting out of his $200,000 (£169,000) Lamborghini Urus and later into his $125 million (£105 million) private jet in Los Angeles.

Traditionally, children born into the royal family are baptized in one of the royal residences – Harry and Meghan chose to host Archie’s ceremony at Windsor Castle in July 2019.

However, following the birth of their daughter Lilibet, the couple opted not to travel to the UK for a christening, with sources saying at the time that they would ‘probably’ opt for a ceremony in California near their home in Montecito.

Perry played a pivotal role in the final three episodes of Meghan and Harry’s docuseries, revealing how he ended up offering the couple his $18 million Beverly Hills mansion when they needed a place to stay in March 2020.

Perry revealed he refused to travel to the UK for a christening ceremony with the royal family, preferring an event in California

Harry (seen with newborn Lilibet) and Meghan asked Perry to serve as their daughter’s godfather after he came to their rescue in March 2020 and lent them his Beverly Hills home

Speaking of when Harry and Meghan asked him to serve in the godfather role, Perry recalled, “They were pretty serious on the phone and I said, ‘OK, what’s up,’ and they said, “Well, we’d like you to be Lili’s Godfather.”

During the final three episodes of the documentary, the couple shared several new photos and videos of their daughter

The director and actor explained that he reached out to Meghan ahead of the Sussexes’ wedding in May 2018 after seeing some negative stories about her father, Thomas Markle.

That’s what an insider told me PEOPLE“There were between 20 and 30 guests at Friday’s intimate gathering, including Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, Lilibet’s godfather Tyler, and an unnamed godmother.

“After the ceremony, attendees were treated to an afternoon of food and dancing – with Archie enjoying a dance with his little sister!”

While making an appearance on the Netflix docuseries, Perry admitted, “I’m not a royal watcher, I don’t really pay attention to a lot of things.

However, when he related how he became involved with the Sussexes, he said: ‘I saw something about her father [posing for the paparazzi]. I was hurtful when he was my father.

And I couldn’t even imagine that this woman would find the man she loved, the man of her dreams, and that he would be a prince, and then fall into all this madness and need the safety of family. and then let your father do it. some horrible things.’

While the pair didn’t hook up right away, Meghan says she eventually turned to Tyler two years later when she and Harry needed a home, after deciding to leave their temporary abode in Canada during the Covid pandemic.

“That’s where Tyler came in,” she recalled. ‘I had never met him. He sent me a letter before the wedding saying he was praying for me. And that if I ever needed anything, he would be there.

“Months and months and months passed. And one day when we were in Canada, I called him. Finally, after years at that point.

‘[It was] the first time we spoke. And I was just a wreck, I cried and cried. Like sometimes it’s easier to just open up to someone who doesn’t know anything at all. And that was that moment between me and Tyler.”