Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced the birth of their second child, a baby girl named after the Queen and Princess Diana.
The couple welcomed Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California, a spokesperson said on Monday morning (Australian time).
“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,” the couple wrote in a statement issued along with the announcement.
“Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”
Meghan gave birth to Lilibet on June 4 at 11:40am (local time), with Prince Harry by her side.
The little girl weighs about 3.5 kilograms and is now “settling in at home”, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said.
No photos of the newborn or the Sussexes accompanied their announcement.
Tweet from @WeAreInvictus
The newborn’s first name, Lilibet, is a nod to a nickname for her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen used to call herself Lilibet when she was too young to pronounce her own name.
Lilibet’s middle name, Diana, honours her “beloved late grandmother”.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge “have been informed and are delighted with the news”.
Invictus Games Foundation, an international sporting event for wounded and sick service people and veterans that was founded by Prince Harry, tweeted “Congratulations to our Patron The Duke of Sussex and to the Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their second child! Welcome to the #InvictusFamily Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor!”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also posted to Twitter: “Many congratulations to The Duke & Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their daughter.”
Tweet from @BorisJohnson
The baby is the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild and is eighth in line to the British throne.
Lilibet’s birth moves Prince Andrew, who was born second in line in 1960, down to ninth place.
The first seven places remain unchanged: Prince Charles; Prince William; William’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis; Prince Harry, and his son, Archie.
Tweet from @RoyalReporter
In February, Harry and Meghan confirmed they were preparing to welcome a brother or sister for their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
The couple married at Windsor Castle in May 2018, and their son was born a year later.
Meghan revealed that she had a miscarriage in July 2020, giving a personal account of the traumatic experience in hope of helping others.
Months before the miscarriage, the couple announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They live in Montecito, an upscale area near Santa Barbara, California.
In the wake of quitting royal duties, they gave an explosive TV interview to Oprah Winfrey in March, in which the couple described painful comments about how dark Archie’s skin might be before his birth and Meghan talked about the intense isolation she felt inside the royal family that led her to contemplate suicide.
Buckingham Palace said the allegations of racism made by the couple were “concerning” and would be addressed privately.
Oprah and Harry have recently collaborated on mental illness on the Apple TV+ mental health series “The Me You Can’t See.”
In the interview with Oprah, Meghan also talked about the fact that her son was not given the title of prince. Harry said the royal family cut him off financially after he announced plans to step back from his roles – and that he was able to afford security for his family because of the money his mother, Princess Diana, left behind.
Despite leaving royal duties, Harry’s place in the order of succession to the throne remains.
-with AAP
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