How the Royals Congratulated Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on the Birth of Their Daughter
Prince William and Kate Middleton have reportedly already sent the newborn a special gift.
On Sunday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced the birth of their second child, daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, and the rest of the royal family was quick to send the couple their congratulations over the happy news.
Queen Elizabeth, whom the newborn is named after, was one of the first to send her well-wishes via a statement from a Buckingham Palace spokesperson that said, “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.”
The decision to pay tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana, and his grandmother’s childhood nickname was apparently very important to Harry as, according to a friend of the royal told Vanity Fair, “He loves and respects his grandmother. For Harry these are two very important and meaningful names.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton also sent the couple a special congratulations on their official Instagram account, writing, “We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili. Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie.”
According to a source who spoke with Us Weekly, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also have reportedly already “sent Lilibet a gift.” Princess Eugenie, who welcomed a baby of her own at the beginning of the year and has long been one of Harry’s closest confidantes, shared on her Instagram Stories a black-and-white photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, writing underneath, “Congratulations dear cousins…we couldn’t be happier for you all.”
On Sunday morning, Meghan and Harry announced that their daughter was born on Friday at 11:40 a.m. in Santa Barbara, California. The couple’s spokesperson revealed in a statement, “She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz. Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home. Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”
The new baby is Queen Elizabeth’s eleventh great-grandchild and is now eighth in line for the British throne, behind her brother Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, her father, her grandfather Prince Charles, her uncle Prince William, and her cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
