Archie is a brother! Harry-Meghan welcome daughter Lilibet 'Lili' Diana
Both mother and child are healthy, and settling in at home.
By AFP | Updated:
Meghan Markle, Prince Harry welcome daughter, Lilibet Diana
LOS ANGELES: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced Sunday the birth of their daughter Lilibet Diana - named for Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and his late mother - in a moment of joy capping a year of increasingly strained ties between the couple and the British royal family.
The baby, who is eighth in line to the throne, was born healthy on Friday in the southern California city of Santa Barbara and is now with Meghan at the couple's home in the area.
"Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her beloved late grandmother, the Princess of Wales," said a statement from Harry and Meghan.
"She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz (3.5 kilograms). Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home," the statement said of the couple's second child.
Shortly after the announcement, a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said the Queen and the British royal family had been informed and were "delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex."
Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the birth of Lilibet Diana! The Queen, The Prince of Wales and… https://t.co/wUaIo5snnu
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) 1623006014000
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Harry's father, Charles, and brother, William, also sent their congratulations.
We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili. Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie.
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) 1623006018000
Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie on the arrival of baby Lilibet Diana ��Wishing them all well at this s… https://t.co/irGTKFm4VQ
— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) 1623006006000
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also sent his congratulations.
Celebrities welcomed the news, with comedian Ellen DeGeneres, a friend of the couple, writing: "Congratulations Meghan, Harry and Archie. Welcome to the world Lilibet! I am more than a Lilibet excited to meet you."
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The couple live in the United States following their decision to quit frontline royal duties early last year.
A message on their Archewell Foundation website said they were on parental leave, and added that any gifts could be sent as donations to four chosen charities: Girls Inc., Harvest Home, CAMFED and the Myna Mahila Foundation.
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Harry and Meghan sat in March for a bombshell interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey, triggering the royal family's biggest crisis since Harry's mother died in a car crash in 1997.
During the two-hour sit-down, viewed by more than 17 million people in the US and over 11 million in Britain, Harry and Meghan said racism had played a part in them quitting Britain.
Grateful for 'love and prayers' The couple said a senior royal had speculated how dark their child's skin would be before he was born. Meghan's mother is Black and her father is white.
Meghan, a former actress, also told Winfrey she was "naively" unprepared for life as a royal and had contemplated suicide while pregnant with her first child Archie, now two.
Harry's father, Charles, and brother, William, also sent their congratulations. Harry, 36, and Meghan 39, accused newspapers of racial stereotyping, particularly set against coverage of Harry's sister-in-law, Kate, who is white.
Prince Harry was said to have a good relationship with his grandparents.
He told talk show host James Corden earlier this year that he had spoken via video call Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip since moving to the United States so they could see their great-grandson Archie.
Harry has spoken to his father multiple times since the Oprah interview came out, notably after Prince Philip's funeral, according to British media.
In a new documentary series released last month, Harry once again emphasized that his family turned a blind eye to the struggles of his wife, saying he will "never be bullied into silence."
However, Lili's arrival struck a sweeter note after a painful, public period of their lives.
"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," Harry and Meghan said.
"Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family."
News of the birth was celebrated in the British press, with the Sun tabloid splashing "OUR LIL' PRINCESS" on its front page.
The British Royal Family Isn't Alone. A Look At Other Regal Controversies Around The World
1/9
After keeping a stiff upper lip over Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey, Buckingham Palace finally broke its silence, saying it was saddened and concerned. Royal watchers say the foundations of the House of Windsor have been shaken, with comparisons being made with Lady Diana’s famous interview with Martin Bashir on BBC, where she said there were three people in her marriage, and even Edward VIII’s abdication to marry an American divorcee.
The British royals could, perhaps, take some comfort in the fact that this is just one of many scandals, controversies and shocking circumstances royal families around the world have found themselves in.
Take a look:
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In July 2019, Thailand’s ruler, Maha Vajiralongkorn, created a stir when he made Sineenat, a royal guard and former nurse, his “royal noble consort”. It was the first time the title, akin to that of an official mistress, was being used in close to a century. Three months later, the palace announced that Sineenat was stripped of all ranks because she had tried to supplant the queen, the king’s fourth wife. Sineenat then vanished from the public eye only to be reinstated in mid-2020, soon after which hundreds of explicit photos of her were leaked, in what was interpreted as a power struggle in the Thai palace. Controversial stories around the Thai ruler, once photographed in Munich in a crop top and tattoo sleeve, are legion but Thailand’s citizens can’t discuss any of this openly.
The reason? A law which punishes any public criticism of its royals with imprisonment.
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Till 2010, the Swedish royal family had enjoyed a flawless reputation for respectability. But that was blown apart by a tell-all book, The Reluctant Monarch, which portrayed the king, Carl XVI Gustav, as a philanderer who took part in numerous sex parties and frequented strip clubs. The Scandinavian nation erupted in uproar over the book, which also alleged that Sweden’s secret police, Sapo, was involved in concealing the monarch’s unsavoury activities.
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Spain
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(Text Sources: Vanity Fair, BBC, CNN, The Independent)
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcome second child, Lilibet 'Lili' Diana
