Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announce birth of baby girl Lilibet Diana and gush ‘she’s more than we ever imagined’
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry today gushed their baby girl was "more than we could have ever imagined" as they announced the birth of their daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.The Duke and Duchess of Sussex kept their daughter's birth a secret for two days - before revealing their touching tribute to the Queen and Diana.
🔵 Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest updates
Meghan Markle had her second child at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on Friday at 11.40am.
A statement announced today confirmed the baby girl weighed 7lbs 11oz and "both mother and child are healthy and well and settling in at home".
Her name Lilibet is a touching nod to her great-grandmother the Queen, who was affectionately called the nickname by her family.
The couple also honoured Harry's "beloved" late mother Princess Diana with the baby's middle name.
A statement published on their Archewell website said: "On June 4, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili.
What we know so far:
- Meghan and Harry have given birth to a baby girl called Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in a touching nod to the Queen
- She was born at hospital in Santa Barbara on Friday morning weighing 7lbs 11oz
- Lili and Meghan are "healthy and well" and "settling in at home"
- Meghan and Harry have asked people to support organisations working for women and girls instead of giving a present
"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."
And the Queen, Prince William, and Kate Middleton have congratulated Meghan and Harry on the birth of their daughter.
Her Majesty and the royals tonight said they were "delighted" at the news and made a touching tribute to the couple and their baby girl.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson 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 couple have also asked anyone wishing to send a present to instead "support or learn more" about organisations working for women and girls.
Meghan and Harry have not yet released a picture of their darling daughter.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent his well wishes to the Sussexes tonight, writing: "Many congratulations to The Duke & Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their daughter."
Meghan and Harry are now likely to be taking parental leave from their work and various roles in LA as they welcome their baby girl into the world.
The new arrival is the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild, joining big brother Archie and Prince William's kids George, Charlotte and Louis.
Lilibet is also Prince Charles’ fifth grandchild and makes Archie, who turned two in May, a big brother for the first time.
She is now eighth in line to the throne - behind her own father Prince Harry, uncle Prince William, grandfather Prince Charles, her cousins, and her older brother Archie.
This year has been a bumper one for royal babies after Princess Eugenie welcomed a son August in February and Zara Tindall had a boy Lucas in March.
Princess Beatrice is expecting her first child, who will be the Queen's 12th great grandchild, in the autumn.
Harry and Meghan’s only daughter is the most senior royal in the current line of succession to be born overseas.
Her arrival has pushed Prince Andrew, who was born second in line in 1960, down to ninth place.
The baby is not entitled, at this stage, to be an HRH nor a princess due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by George V.
She can, however, become a Lady - although Harry and Meghan will likely style their second-born a Miss, as they did with Master Archie, using the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.
The Duke and Duchess have previously made no secret of their desire for a second child but also said two is their limit for environmental reasons.
They excitedly revealed they were having a daughter during their Oprah interview in March, with Harry telling the talk show host the gender.
When Oprah asked Harry how he felt learning he would have a daughter, he gushed: “Amazing. Just grateful.
“To have any child, any one or any two, would have been amazing. But to have a boy and then a girl, what more can you ask for. We’ve got our family—the four of us and our two dogs.”
Oprah added: “Done?” and Meghan responded, “Done. Two is it.”
The announcement came almost a year after Meghan revealed the "unbearable grief" she and Harry had suffered when she had a miscarriage last July.
The Duchess of Sussex said she had decided to speak out about her loss because miscarriage was still a taboo subject which led to a "cycle of solitary mourning".
And the couple, who currently live with two-year-old son Archie in Santa Barbara, California, later announced on Valentines Day that they were expecting their second child.
They shared a black and white picture of themselves under a tree, with a shoeless Harry resting his hand on Meghan's head as she cradled her bump.
Delivering the news, the proud parents said: “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother.”"There’s no blame, I don’t think we should be pointing the finger or blaming anybody.
“But certainly when it comes to parenting, if I have experienced some form of pain or suffering because of the pain or suffering perhaps my father or my parents suffered, I’m gonna make sure that I break that cycle so that I don’t pass it on, basically.
“There is a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed on anyway. As parents we should be doing the most that we can to say, ‘You know what, that happened to me, I’m gonna make sure that’s not going to happen to you’.”
In a touching nod to Princess Diana, the couple made the announcement exactly 37 years to the day she and Charles confirmed they were expecting Harry.
The Royal Family and the Queen, who lost her husband of almost 75 years in April, were said to be "delighted".
Harry recently opened up about his upbringing as he described royal life as a mixture of The Truman Show film and being in a zoo.
And he said he moved to the US with Meghan and baby son Archie to escape his “genetic pain”.
Only weeks after telling Oprah Winfrey in a bombshell interview that his dad was “trapped”, Harry again opened up about their father-son relationship.
He said on the “Armchair Expert” podcast: “I verbalise it, which is, ‘Isn’t life about breaking the cycle’?
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