Harry and Meghan announce the birth of their daughter, the royal family 'delighted'
Los Angeles - Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle on Sunday announced "with immense joy" the birth of their second child, Lilibet "Lili" Diana, named in honor of the Princess of Wales and Queen Elizabeth II , who said she was "delighted" with this announcement.
Born Friday morning in a hospital in Santa Barbara, California (United States), Lilibet weighs nearly 3.5 kilos and is in eighth place in the order of succession to the British crown.
It was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex explain in a statement.
Her middle name, "Diana", pays homage to Prince Harry's mother, who died in a car accident in Paris in 1997, while her driver was trying to escape the paparazzi.
The youngest son of Prince Charles and Diana was then 12 years old. He has since confessed to the deep trauma caused by "Lady Di's" death and her previous suffering, saying that as a child he felt "powerless" to protect her.
After stormy months since Harry and Meghan stepped back from the royal family, followed by recent shocking statements, their loved ones have rejoiced at the good news.
The British Sovereign, her son Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, as well as Prince William and his wife Kate "have been informed and are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex", a spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said.
Prince Charles and his wife also tweeted their congratulations, along with a photo of Harry, Meghan and their two-year-old first son Archie.
"We send our best wishes to all of them at this special time," he wrote.
Prince William and Kate Middleton also said they were "delighted" on Twitter.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent "congratulations" to the couple, joined by Labor leader Keir Starmer, who hailed "extraordinary news".
"We are grateful for the love and thoughts we have received from all over the world," wrote the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan Markle and her daughter "are in good health", according to their statement. "She is more than anything we could have imagined."
Lilibet is the 11th great-grandchild of Elizabeth II, the royal family said. She dislodged Prince Andrew, descended to ninth in the order of succession after his birth.
- Withdrawal of the royal family -
Prince Harry, 36, sixth in the order of succession, and Meghan Markle, a 39-year-old former American actress, effectively retired from the royal family in April 2020.
Denouncing the media pressure on their couple, they moved to California, where they started a podcast, launched other projects with content platforms including Netflix, and created a foundation, "Archwell", to work for humanitarian causes.
Harry and Meghan also gave a shocking interview to TV host Oprah Winfrey in March, in which, among other explosive revelations, they reported that an unnamed member of the royal family was concerned about the color of skin that their son Archie would have, before his birth, his mother being mixed race.
The statement had cast a chill between the couple and the rest of the royal family, with Prince William being pressured into reacting and saying: "We are not a racist family at all."
The queen, she said, was "saddened" by the difficulties felt by the couple, affirming to take "very seriously" the accusations of racism while wishing to treat them "in private".
Since then, Harry has been able to speak with his brother, his father as well as in a separate video call, with Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip before the latter's death, he told the host. James Corden.
The Queen and Prince Philip were then able to admire their great-grandson Archie via an interposed screen.
