Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce birth of daughter Lilibet "Lili" Diana

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on June 6 announced the birth of their second child, a baby daughter named Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. According to a statement on Archewell website, their baby girl was born at 11:40am (local time) in Santa Barbara, California on June 4 and she weighed 3.5kg (7 lbs 11 oz). “Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home,” the statement read. 

Lili is named after her great-grandmother, the Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her beloved late grandmother, the Princess of Wales. She is the first of the Queen’s great-grandchildren to be born outside the United Kingdom. Lili is the second child of the Duke Duchess of Sussex, who also have a two-year-old son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

“On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. 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,” the couple said. 

The baby girl is now eighth in line for the British throne, behind her brother Archie, her father, her grandfather Prince Charles, her uncle Prince William, and her cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Back in February the couple had announced that they were expecting their second child with a set of photos that showed them embracing under a tree on their Montecito property. The announcement had come less than three months after the Duchess wrote an essay for the New York Times in which she discussed a July 2020 miscarriage, titled “The Losses We Share”.

'Biggest reason' to step down 

Meanwhile, things had turned sour between the Royal family after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey where they opened up on their decisions to step down from their Royal duties. The couple had shed some light on the working of the Royal Firm and levelled a series of allegations including hinting towards racism in the family, which caused a massive uproar. The Duke has even revealed that his son Archie was the “biggest reason” to step down as senior working royals as he did not want Archie to possibly feel the same emotions as the ones he had during his royal life.

Image: AP