Meghan Markle has given birth to her second child with Prince Harry.
“It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world,” a statement posted to the couple’s Archwell Foundation website on Sunday reads.
The couple named their daughter after Queen Elizabeth, “whose family nickname is Lilibet,” the statement said.
Her middle name, Diana, was “chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales,” according to the statement.
Princess Diana, Harry’s mother, died in 1997.
Lili was born on Friday at 11:40 a.m. in Santa Barbara, CA. Both Meghan and Lili are “healthy and well,” and are “settling in at home,” the release said.
Lili is the couple’s second child. She is now eighth in line to the British throne.
Get breaking National news
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were married in 2018, and welcomed their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in May of 2019.
In a statement of their own, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said Lili is “more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe.”
No photos of the baby were released with the statement.
In 2020, the Duke and Duchess announced they would be stepping away from their duties as working royals.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March of this year, Meghan detailed her time living at Frogmore Cottage.
She said her mental suffered while under extreme scrutiny from tabloids who perpetuated false stories about her and Harry.
Meghan said when she sought help, she was ignored.
During the interview, Meghan also claimed the palace refused to offer her husband or son security, saying it was also communicated to the couple that their son would not be given the title of “Prince.”
Harry told Oprah that they were ultimately able to pay for security using money his mother left him when she died.
The couple moved to Canada in March of 2020, before ultimately relocating to California, where they live today.
Buckingham Palace said the queen, Harry’s father Prince Charles and his brother and wife, Prince William and Kate, were delighted with the news. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined them in sending his congratulations.
In a tweet Sunday afternoon, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated the Sussexes.
“Many congratulations to The Duke & Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their daughter,” he wrote.
-With a file from Reuters and The Associated Press
Comments