London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Queen 'delighted' after Harry and Meghan announce birth of baby girl

Queen 'delighted' after Harry and Meghan announce birth of baby girl

The Queen is "delighted" after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the birth of their second child, Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, Buckingham Palace has said.

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge also congratulated the couple on social media.

The Queen's 11th great-grandchild was born on Friday at a hospital in Santa Barbara, California.

Lilibet was the Queen's nickname when she was a child.

Buckingham Palace 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."

Prince Charles, Prince Harry's father, and the Duchess of Cornwall tweeted: "Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie on the arrival of baby Lilibet Diana. Wishing them all well at this special time."

Prince William and the Duchess and Cambridge said: "We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent his "many congratulations" to the couple and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the "wonderful news".

Lilibet was born at 11:40am local time, weighing 7 lbs 11oz.

She is eighth in line to the throne - meaning Prince Andrew, who was born as second in line in 1960, moves down to ninth place.

Lilibet - the Queen's family nickname - was coined when then-Princess Elizabeth was just a toddler and could not pronounce her name properly.

Her grandfather, King George V, would affectionately call her Lilibet, imitating her own attempts to say her name. It soon stuck and she became Lilibet to her family from then on.

The Queen, pictured here with her grandparents in 1932, was called Lilibet by her grandfather King George V

Prince Harry and Meghan said their baby's middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her "beloved late grandmother", the Princess of Wales.

In a message of thanks on the couple's Archewell website, they 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."

The message adds that anyone wishing to send gifts is asked to "support or learn more about" organisations working for women and girls.

They have not released any photos of their daughter.

Use of the "very special and intimate" name Lilibet will not have come as a surprise to the Queen, according to Sunday Times royal editor Roya Nikkhah who suggested the monarch would have been asked or informed of the choice beforehand.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's that very intimate name that the Queen has used since she was very little and for me I thought perhaps this is a diplomatic olive branch offered to the Royal Family after what has been a fractious year between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the Royal Family."

Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, met on a blind date and married in May 2018 in a ceremony at Windsor Castle. They welcomed their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, a year later.

Meghan's friend, Misan Harriman, who took black-and-white photographs of the couple for their pregnancy announcement, tweeted his congratulations: "Lilibet has arrived! Congratulations to my brave friend and her lovely family!"

The couple, pictured here with their son Archie, announced on Valentine's Day in February they were expecting their second child

Prince Harry has publicly reflected on his approach to parenthood recently, saying he wanted to "break the cycle" of the "pain and suffering" of his upbringing with his own children.

He and Meghan quit their roles as senior working royals in March 2020. Speaking last month, the duke said moving to the US had not been part of the plan, but he felt he had to put his family and mental health first.

As a result of the move, Lilibet is the most senior royal in the current line of succession to be born overseas.

Like her older brother Archie and most of the Queen's great-grandchildren, she is not eligible to have a royal title.

Under rules laid out more than 100 years ago, she would not be allowed to be a princess nor an HRH until Prince Charles becomes king.

In November, Meghan revealed she had a miscarriage several months earlier, writing about her "almost unbearable grief" in a deeply personal article for the New York Times.

In the piece, she said "despite the staggering commonality of [miscarriages], the conversation remains taboo, riddled with [unwarranted] shame" and went on to commend those who "bravely shared their stories", saying: "When one person speaks truth, it gives license for all of us to do the same."


Residents in Montecito, where the couple live, react to news of the birth


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×