The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have welcomed their second child – a baby girl.
The couple issued a statement which reads as follows: :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, CA.
“She weighed 7lbs 11oz. Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home.
“Lili was 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.”
This is the second child for the couple, who also have two-year- old Archie.
The Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh meeting Archie shortly after his birth.
Lilibet was first used when Elizabeth was a toddler and unable to pronounce her own name properly. Her grandfather, George V, would affectionately call her ‘Lilibet’ imitating her own attempts to say Elizabeth. The nickname stuck and since she became Lilibet to her family.
Prince Philip also referred to his wife as Lilibet, writing to his mother-in-law after their wedding: “Lilibet is the only ‘thing’ in the world which is absolutely real to me.”
Shortly after the birth was announced, Buckingham Palace shared a public message welcoming the new baby: “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 Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released their own message saying: “We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili.
“Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie.”
Lili becomes the 11th great-grandchild for The Queen. The new Royal is the first of The Queen’s great-grandchildren to be born outside the UK.
The line of succession to the throne has now changed since the new arrival. Lili is eighth in line to the throne, pushing The Duke of York to ninth place, Followed by Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in 10th and 11th place retrospectively.
The line of succession to the throne will change again when Princess Beatrice welcomes her baby.
