Harry and Meghan announced the birth of baby Lili
A new royal baby came into the world on Friday morning, her name is Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their first daughter on Friday in Santa Barbara, California. Although the baby was born on June 4, the couple waited two days to share the happy news.
The couple married on 19 May 2018 and welcomed its first child on 6 May 2019. They revealed they were expecting a second child in February, after the Duchess of Sussex suffered a miscarriage last summer.
The announcement came directly from an official statement on the website of Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation. The baby girl was born at 11.04 am on Friday at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California and reportedly weighed 3.5kg. Both mother and daughter are “healthy and well, and settling in at home”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stated: “She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”
Differently from what happened with their firstborn Archie Harrison, this time the couple opted for a very royal name. The baby was named Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor after her great-grandmother the Queen and her late grandmother the Princess of Wales. The choice of the name shows a strong bond with the royal family and follows the steps of the Dukes of Cambridge. William and Kate named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, paying tribute even to Prince Charles.
Although the middle name Diana may not surprise, the name Lilibet does. Many of the Queen’s granddaughters and great-granddaughters bring her name, but none as first name. Harry and Meghan went further and didn’t name their daughter just Elizabeth, but Lilibet. Lilibet was indeed the sweet nickname that the Queen’s close family used to call her. The nickname was generated by her own attempts to say “Elizabeth” when she was a child. Then she became Lilibet to her family.
Also Prince Philip referred to his wife as Lilibet. He wrote in a letter to his mother after their wedding: “Lilibet is the only ‘thing’ in the world which is absolutely real to me.”
Anyway, the couple’s name choice surprised many, as Lili’s birth comes only few months after their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. Harry and Meghan’s shocking allegations against the British royal family run around the world. And, though they have never spoken against the Queen, they certainly strongly criticised the family and the institution she has been representing for 69 years now.
Like her bigger brother Archie, Lili will receive the HRH title and become a princess when her grandfather Prince Charles becomes king. They will, indeed, have right to the title as children of a son of a monarch.
Lili is now eight in the line of succession to the throne, pushing Prince Andrew back to the ninth position. She comes after her brother Archie (seventh) and her father Harry (sixth). She is also preceded firstly by her grandfather Charles, then by her uncle William and her cousins George, Charlotte and Louis.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge publicly welcomed Lili on their official Twitter account late on Sunday. They wrote: “We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili”.
In addition, Buckingham Palace released a statement. “The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
Lili is Queen Elizabeth’s 11th great-grandchild, but she’s the first born outside the UK. The baby was, in fact, born in her mother’s country, since her family left the UK and now lives in Montecito.
Even this time, Harry and Meghan decided not to follow the royal protocol, as it happened when their first son Archie was born in 2019. The announcement of a royal baby’s birth usually comes within hours. But the couple chose to wait 48 hours, before making the news public.