Meghan Markle gives birth to baby girl: Baby named Lilibet Diana after the Queen

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The Duchess of Sussex has given birth to a daughter named Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, after the family nickname for the Queen and the duke’s mother Princess Diana, who died in 1997.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s baby girl was born on Friday, June 4 at 11:40am at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara weighing 7lb 11oz, and is said to be settling in at home.  

She is sister to two-year-old Archie and is the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild – the first of the monarch and Philip’s great-grandchildren to be born since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh in April. 

With the Sussexes living in California, it is not known when or if Lilibet will meet the monarch and the other royals. However, the duke and duchess may have given their daughter her names in an effort to build bridges with the Royal Family after the couple made a series of bombshell allegations against the Firm.

In a message of thanks from Meghan and Harry on their Archewell website, the duke and duchess said: ‘On June 4, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. 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.’ 

A statement from their press secretary said: ‘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.

‘Lili was born on Friday, June 4 at 11.40am in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California. She weighed 7lbs 11oz. 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 honour her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.

‘This is the second child for the couple, who also have a two-year-old son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke and Duchess thank you for your warm wishes and prayers as they enjoy this special time as a family.’ 

Anyone wishing to send a present is asked to support organisations working for women and girls.

A message on the Archewell website reads: ‘For those inquiring on sending gifts, we would ask that you support or learn more about these organisations working for women and girls: Girls Inc., Harvest Home, CAMFED or Myna Mahila Foundation.’

The Diana Award, established to continue the legacy of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, congratulated the duke and duchess on Twitter.

‘Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. We extend our warmest wishes to The Duke, The Duchess and little Archie,’ they said.

The Wellchild charity, of which Harry is patron, said: ‘Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the birth of Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. We wish our Patron The Duke, and The Duchess every happiness as they start this new adventure.’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: ‘Many congratulations to The Duke & Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their daughter.’ 

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said on Twitter: ‘Wonderful news! Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.’

The new baby will be entitled to be a princess and Archie a prince – both with HRH styles – after the death of the Queen and when Charles becomes king. This is because they will have moved up the line of succession to become the children of a son of a monarch.

Despite Harry and Meghan quitting as senior working royals, the baby still has a place in the line of succession.

She is eighth in line to the throne, coming after Archie, who is seventh in line, and before the Duke of York, who has dropped to ninth place.

The new baby is also a first cousin of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and a fifth grandchild for Charles, but will grow up across the Atlantic, thousands of miles away from the royal family – at a time of heartbreak and division within the Windsors.

Harry and Meghan revealed they were expecting a girl in March during their explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey. It was a lighter moment during a series of bombshells that left the monarchy in crisis.

Meghan accused an unnamed member of the royal family – not the Queen nor Duke of Edinburgh – of racism, saying they expressed concern about how dark Archie’s skin tone might be before he was born.

The duchess also called out the institution for not helping her when she was suicidal.

The Queen responded by saying the issues were taken ‘very seriously’ but that ‘some recollections may vary’ and the matter would addressed by the family privately. 

Harry has gone on to accuse the royal family of ‘total neglect’ when his wife Meghan was feeling suicidal amid harassment on social media. 

In his Apple TV mental health series with Winfrey he lambasted the parenting skills of the Prince of Wales, criticising his father for expecting his sons to endure the pressures of royal life, just as Charles has done, instead of protecting them. 

The duke told Winfrey he felt ‘really let down’ by his father and how ‘there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened’ but he wanted to try to heal the relationship. 

He said of his rift with his brother the Duke of Cambridge that the ‘relationship is ‘space’ at the moment’ and that he hoped time would make things better. The duke later appeared to suggest that his father and the Queen and Philip had failed as parents. 

Speaking on the Armchair Expert podcast that was broadcast in May, the duke said he wanted to ‘break the cycle’ of ‘genetic pain and suffering’ for the sake of his own children. He said of Charles: ‘He’s treated me the way he was treated, so how can I change that for my own kids?’ 

The baby is the most senior royal in the current line of succession to be born overseas and would be eligible to become president of the United States. 

Her arrival follows the heartache the couple suffered when the 39-year-old duchess suffered a miscarriage in the summer of 2020. In November, former Suits actress Meghan wrote, in a deeply personal article for the New York Times: ‘I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.’

The Sussexes announced on Valentine’s Day they were expecting again, releasing a black and white photo of themselves sitting under a tree in Los Angeles.

Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals in March 2020 in a quest for personal and financial freedom after struggling with royal life. 

They have signed multimillion-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify, and set up their Archewell Foundation.

If Harry keeps true to his pledge, their daughter will be their last child. He told activist and chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall in 2019 that he would only have two children for the sake of the planet.

Home for the new family-of-four is Harry and Meghan’s £11million mansion in Montecito, California.

2021 is proving to be a bumper year for royal babies. Princess Eugenie welcomed a son August in February, while Zara Tindall had a boy Lucas in March, and Princess Beatrice is expecting her first child, who will be the Queen’s 12th great grandchild, in the autumn.  

How the line of royal succession looks now: Harry and Meghan’s baby girl is 8th in line to the throne, ahead of Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie – despite being born a US citizen

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s second child is eighth in line to the throne despite being born a US citizen after the couple moved to LA to quit royal life.

Lilibet, who was born on Friday weighing 8oz and is a sibling for Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, two, has entered the line of royal succession behind her older brother and is set to nudge senior family members further from the throne.

The first seven places in the line of succession will remain unchanged – Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince Harry, and Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

However, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new addition will bump her great-uncle, Prince Andrew, down to 9th place. When he was born in 1960 he was second-in-line to the throne behind his older brother, Prince Charles. 

Meanwhile his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie move down to 10th and 11th place, respectively. 

Although Princess Eugenie will soon move one more place down the line when her niece or nephew arrives later this year. 

Eugenie’s son August, who was born in February, is in 12th place following the birth of Baby Sussex but will move down to 13th when his cousin arrives.  

Lilibet will not be entitled to be an HRH nor be a prince or a princess like Kate and Williams’ children, Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three.

This is due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by George V, who limited titles within the family during the First World War.

She is allowed to be a Lady, but, in keeping with Harry and Meghan’s wishes, will be a plain Miss (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor instead.

As the first-born son of a duke, Archie could have become Earl of Dumbarton – one of Harry’s subsidiary titles – or been Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

The Duke and Duchess broke with royal convention by making a personal decision not to use a title, thought to be inspired by Harry’s wish to have been a normal child, rather than a prince, as he grew up.

Harry and Meghan’s baby is the fifth grandchild for Prince Charles, and the Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh’s eleventh-great-grandchild. 

The monarch’s great-grandchildren so far are: Savannah and Isla Phillips; George, Charlotte and Louis; Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall; Archie, and Princess Eugenie’s baby boy, August Brooksbank.

Harry and Meghan, who are currently living in California, shared their pregnancy announcement on Valentine’s Day by posting a black and white image of Harry resting his hand on Meghan’s head as she lay in his lap underneath a tree. 

Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s daughter be British or American? Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor is likely to possess dual citizenship like big brother Archie

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new baby girl is likely to possess dual citizenship – just like big brother Archie.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their new addition on Friday, June 4 at 11.40am, with Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor weighing 7lbs 11oz.

Following the couple stepping down as senior royals, they announced the news in their own statement, shared on the Archwell Foundation website and not through the official channels of the Royal family, in a departure from the announcement of her brother Archie in 2018, in a post written in American English.  

Given Meghan, 39, is an American, having been born in California, her children are automatically entitled to citizenship in the US.

The same goes for Harry, who was born in the UK and is thereby a British citizen. Under British law, citizenship can be passed down one generation, so Harry’s children are eligible to inherit that status.

Unlike his sister, Harry and Meghan’s son Archie, two, was born in the UK – at the Portland Hospital in London – but both children possess dual British and American citizenship. 

When the couple married in 2018, it was announced that Meghan intended to become a British citizen, however it can take several years.

It’s believed that the Sussexes chose to step down as senior royals and move across the pond before the process was complete; it’s unclear whether they are continuing to see it through now that they’ve settled in Montecito.

It appears that Meghan remains an American citizen; she voted in the presidential election last year – making her the first member of the British Royal Family to do so.

When Harry moved to the US last year, sources told the Times that he didn’t intend on applying for a green card or dual citizenship ‘in the foreseeable future’.

If Harry applied for US citizenship, it would require him to renounce his titles and expose him to US taxation on his earnings worldwide, according to the Immigration and Nationalization Act.

It’s not known whether he has a diplomatic or other special visa; it’s highly unlikely he has a tourist visa because that would forbid him from working. 

His wealth – previously estimated to be around £30million – may qualify him for visas available to entrepreneurs willing to invest in America. Another option is the O-1 visa for ‘individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement’.

In order to be granted a O-1 visa, Harry must be sponsored by an organisation that plans to work with him and can identify the areas where he excels – most likely his philanthropic endeavours. 

It’s usually approved for three years, and renewed every year after that.

The Sussex children aren’t the first royals with dual citizenship. Peter Phillips’ estranged wife Autumn is Canadian, and retained her citizenship when they married in 2008.

Their daughters Savannah and Isla have Canadian and UK citizenship. 

Baby Sussex’s VERY starry play date posse! How Harry and Meghan’s daughter will grow up with Orlando Bloom, Serena Williams and Misha Nonoo’s children – instead of the close circle of cousins she would have had in the UK

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle count actors, fashion designers and royalty among their inner circle, so newborn daughter Lilibet will have no shortage of glittering celebrity offspring by her side as she grows up. 

But the young royal’s star-studded California play date posse will be decidedly different to the one she would have had if Harry and Meghan had decided to raise their children in the UK. 

A-list power couple Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry, who welcomed daughter Daisy Dove in August 2020, live just down the road from the Sussexes in Montecito, while Meghan’s BFF Misha Nonoo, who is expecting a daughter of her own this summer, has reportedly been looking for a house in the neighbourhood. 

Further away are Serena Williams and her daughter Olympia, who spend most of their time in Florida, and Toronto-based Jessica Mulroney and her three children, although distance doesn’t matter too much when you’re mingling with the mega-wealthy. 

Some of the British crew have also moved Stateside, with Tom ‘Skippy’ Inskip – Prince Harry’s onetime wingman – now calling Washington D.C. home with his wife and young son.

Back in the UK it would have been a largely family affair, with Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall’s sons (born in February and May, respectively) and Princess Beatrice’s new baby (due this autumn) born just a few months apart from Lilibet.

Violet von Westenholz, the socialite and royal family friend who is said to have introduced Harry and Meghan, has a two-year-old daughter, while Archie’s godfather Charlie van Straubenzee welcomed a daughter with wife Daisy last year.

On the showbiz side of the friendship group there is George and Amal Clooney, who live just a stone’s throw from Windsor with their three-year-old twins Ella and Alexander.  

Here, FEMAIL takes a closer look at the young movers and shakers you need to know. 

FRIENDS IN THE US 

ALEXIS OLYMPIA OHANIAN JR. 

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian’s daughter  

Among the oldest in Harry and Meghan’s baby group is Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian’s three-year-old daughter Alexis, known as Olympia. 

The family are understood to spend most of their time in Florida but will no doubt be popping on a plane to visit Lilibet as soon as possible.  

Meghan and Serena have been close friends since 2014 after having their first ‘real hangout’ at the DirecTV Beach Bowl, although they briefly crossed paths in 2010 at the SuperBowl.

The pair have been determined not to let distance come in the way of their friendship, with Serena and Alexis travelling to the UK for Harry and Meghan’s wedding and Meghan jetting to New York just to cheer on Serena in the U.S. Open in September 2019.

Serena was among the first friends to meet Archie following his birth in May 2019 and the tennis champion will no doubt be planning a trip to California to meet the new arrival.  

She recently described her royal BFF as the ‘strongest person she knows’ and described her as the ‘epitome of confidence’, ‘the epitome of selflessness’. 

LEO AND BABY HESS

Misha Nonoo and Mikey Hess’s son and future daughter  

Meghan Markle’s BFF Misha Nonoo revealed in February she is pregnant with a baby girl – weeks after the Duchess announced she was expecting.

The British-Bahraini fashion designer, who lives in New York and is known for her eponymous clothing line, is credited with helping to introduce Harry and Meghan. 

Her first husband, Alexander Gilkes, went to school with Prince William and Prince Harry. 

Now married to oil heir Mikey Hess, Misha welcomed her son Leo in March 2020 – less than a year after Harry and Meghan welcomed Archie.   

During her first pregnancy, Misha told People, that the Duchess of Sussex had been sharing her advice about becoming a first-time mother.

The designer revealed: ‘As with all friendships, you share lots of tips and everything.’

While Mikey and Misha currently call New York home, reports suggest the couple have been looking at property in Montecito – maybe they could soon be on Harry and Meghan’s doorstep.  

DAISY DOVE BLOOM 

Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry’s daughter 

The Duke of Sussex, 36, told Dax Shepard’s ‘Armchair Expert’ show that he has struck up a bond with his new neighbours Orlando Bloom, 44, and singer Katy Perry, 36, who live ‘just down the road’ from Harry and Meghan’s £11million mansion in Montecito, California. 

Speaking in a 90-minute interview on the podcast, Prince Harry described how the Lord of the Rings star tipped him off about a photographer and that the pair ‘keep in touch’ over text.

But the pair’s close proximity and the fact they are now both Brits abroad is far from the only parallel between the duo, who have both seemingly been moving in the same circle for years – having common connections with US designer Misha Nonoo, popstar Ellie Goulding and also a reported interest in spirituality.

Handily, Orlando and Katy are also the proud parents of a little girl, Daisy Dove, who was born in August 2020. 

It means there will be less than a year between Lilibet and Daisy as they grow up down the road from each other.  

ARTHUR INSKIP  

Tom ‘Skippy’ Inskip and wife Lara’s son 

Prince Harry’s childhood friend Tom ‘Skippy’ Inskip and his wife Lara welcomed their first child together, a boy named Arthur, in May last year.   

The two men used to be inseparable, with Skippy known as Harry’s wingman thanks to their wild holidays together.

Harry was an usher at Skippy’s wedding to literary agent Lara in Jamaica in 2017 but the pair grew apart.

Although Skippy and his wife Lara were invited to the wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in 2018, they were notably absent from the lavish evening reception at Frogmore House.

Instead, they had to watch as the Royal couple’s new friends such as Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney made their way to the event. 

However it is understood the pair have put their differences aside and patched things up.

Both men are now parents and fatherhood has given them some much-needed perspective, the Mail On Sunday reported in May last year. The pair had plans to meet up after the lockdown ended in the United States, where they both live.  

Skippy, who lives in Washington DC and works at US tech giant Afiniti, was reportedly making plans to take his company’s private jet to Los Angeles with his son Albert to meet Harry and Archie. 

It is not known whether the planned meeting went ahead but it certainly bodes well for warmer relations between the two families going forward. 

RENNIE FOSTER 

Katharine McPhee and David Foster’s son 

While Prince Charles might not be close by, Prince Harry will have a ‘father figure’ on hand in the form of music producer David Foster, who welcomed a son with wife Katharine McPhee in February. 

The couple live in a stunning Los Angeles apartment but there are rumours they are looking to snap up a place to be closer to Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet.

Music producer Foster, 71, who has been married five times, has become a close friend to Harry and Meghan and the foursome have been spotted dining out together.    

Katharine previously said her musician husband ‘has a really, really beautiful relationship with Harry,’ and that they are ‘like father and son’.

The actress, who first found fame on American Idol, was at school with Meghan, albeit several years below her.  

There are reports that they spent last Christmas together at the Sussex home in Montecito.   

Foster was instrumental in the couple’s stay at the £10.7 million Mille Fleurs house in Vancouver, Canada, from November 2019 to March 2020. The house was secured for them by Foster, whose friend owned the house. Harry and Meghan reportedly paid a rent that was ‘well below market value’.

Meanwhile, Foster has been friends with Oprah Winfrey for years. Oprah was one of the highest profile stars to travel to Canada to lend wattage to his Miracle Gala in 2017 which celebrated 30 years of charity work by the mogul.  

… AND THE ONES IN THE UK 

PRINCE GEORGE, PRINCESS CHARLOTTE AND PRINCE LOUIS 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children 

Although it seems difficult to imagine now, there was a point in time when Prince William and Prince Harry no doubt would have imagined their children growing up the best of friends. 

If the Sussexes had chosen to live in the UK and continue on as working royals then Archie and Lilibet would have had a special bond with their cousins, Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three, who they would have seen at family events and at royal engagements as they got older. 

One only has to look at the bond the brothers share with their own cousins, namely Zara, Eugenie and Beatrice, to see the type of relationship and experiences their children might have shared.   

Prince Harry was also a hands-on uncle to the Cambridge children, particularly to Prince George.  

Although there are a few years between George and his newborn cousin, the future king is well practised at entertaining his younger siblings and would have felt at ease with a little one around. 

Archie too would have benefited, particularly given there is just a year between him and Louis. 

Harry and William are expected to reunite in July to unveil a statue of their mother in Kensignton Palace Gardens to mark what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday. 

It will be the first time they have been together in person since Prince Philip’s funeral and Prince Harry’s most recent round of bombshell Oprah interviews.    

AUGUST BROOKSBANK 

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s son 

Eugenie and Harry enjoy a particularly close relationship and the princess knew Meghan (the pair have mutual friends including Misha Nonoo) before the then actress met the prince. 

Indeed Eugenie and her then boyfriend, Jack Brooksbank, were at a party in Soho House in Toronto in 2016 when Harry and the Suits star were first seen together. 

Eugenie was instrumental in keeping her cousin’s relationship secret.

Despite the distance between them, Eugenie and Jack are understood to still be on good terms with Harry and Meghan. 

The young parents live at Frogmore Cottage, the house on the Windsor estate renovated by the Sussexes before they emigrated to North America.   

With so much in common, it is easy to imagine Lilibet and August, who was born in February would have grown up the best of friends.

Like the Cambridges, the children would have seen each other at family events as well as official royal engagements. 

Princess Eugenie’s older sister, Princess Beatrice, is also expecting her first child this year with husband Edoardo – adding another to the Sussexes’ British playdate options.  

LUCAS TINDALL 

Zara and Mike Tindall’s son 

Like August Brooksbank, Zara and Mike’s son Lucas is the perfect age to be best friends with the Sussexes little girl.  

Prince Harry enjoyed a close relationship with Zara and Mike while he was living in the UK, with ex-rugby player Mike previously speaking about how he was part of a WhatsApp group with Harry.  

Harry is goddaughter to the Tindall’s younger daughter Lena, two. Oldest child Mia is seven.  

The Tindalls live at Gatcombe Park, Princess Anne’s Gloucestershire estate, meaning they would have seen the Sussexes less than the family members in London or Windsor.  

But the families were excellent in making an effort to see each other when Harry lived in the UK so no doubt it would have been the same had the Sussexes chosen to raise their children there.  

ALEXANDER AND JAMES JORDAN  

Lindsay Roth and Gavin Jordan’s sons 

Meghan’s best friend from college, Lindsay Roth, is understood to be raising her sons, Alexander, two, and James, one, in London, where she lives with her English husband Gavin. 

Meghan and Lindsay have been friends since they met in a Toni Morrison literature class during their freshman year at Northwestern, from which they graduated in 2003.

They remained close as Meghan went on to pursue acting, eventually earning her high-profile role on Suits.

Lindsay also acted for a bit, appearing as an extra in Mona Lisa Smile alongside Julia Roberts and Kirsten Dunst, and Raise Your Voice, with Hilary Duff.

She has since gone on to work as a producer for Larry King Now, The Real Girl’s Kitchen, and Queen Boss.

All the while, the two were in each other’s lives. Though Meghan has deleted her personal Instagram account, Lindsay still has several photos of the star up and tagged on her page.

TV producer Roth married Englishman Gavin Jordan in 2016, with Meghan serving as maid of honor. 

CLOVER VAN STRAUBENZEE 

Daughter of Charlie and Daisy van Straubenzee

Prince Harry’s childhood friend and Archie’s rumoured godfather Charlie van Straubenzee welcomed a daughter Clover with wife Daisy in February last year.  

The families have been friends for decades, with their uncle, William van Straubenzee, a close friend of Princess Diana.

Harry and Charlie have been friends since their time at Ludgrove Prep School in Berkshire. Charlie’s older brother Thomas is Princess Charlotte’s godfather.  

Charlie and Thomas were both Prince Harry’s ushers at his Windsor Castle wedding to Meghan in May 2018, and Charlie gave a speech alongside Prince William at the evening reception at Frogmore House. 

Meanwhile the Duke of Sussex acted as Charlie’s best man at his wedding to Daisy, a society wedding and party videographer who runs a company with her sister Kitty, on August 4 later that year in Frensham, Surrey – also Meghan’s 37th birthday.

Harry made annual summer visits to the Straubenzee family home in Cornwall while he was growing up. 

Charlie’s older brother, Henry, died in a car crash in 2002 at the age of 18. Prince William and Prince Harry are joint royal patrons of the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund.