Entertainment

Prince Harry & Meghan’s Baby Name Honors 2 Very Special Women

The coupled shared the meaning behind Lili’s name.

by Erica Campbell
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of S...
Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson Collection/Getty Images

It’s official: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are the proud parents of a healthy baby girl. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke the news via the Archewell website, confirming that they welcomed their daughter on Friday, June 4 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California. They also revealed that they’ve chosen the name Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in a nod to two very special women in Harry’s life.

The official statement explained the meaning behind their daughter’s name, and, as many royal fans had hoped, it pays homage to Prince Harry’s late mother as well as his beloved grandmother. The statement shared, “Lili is 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.”

Lili’s last name, Mountbatten-Windsor, which she shares with the Sussexs’ first child, her 2-year-old brother Archie, has also been used by some of the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, who died in April.

Though the couple has yet to release photos of their new arrival, they did release a direct statement as well, sharing, “On June 4th, 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.”

Misan Harriman

The new parents also shared that Lili weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and that both mother and child are well and settling in at home and asked for donations to charity in lieu of any gifts.

As the newest royal, Lili is eighth in line to the British throne behind her brother Archie, her father, her grandfather Prince Charles, her uncle Prince William, and her cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Her arrival also means Queen Elizabeth officially has eleven great-grandchildren.

The happy parents first revealed they were expecting a baby girl back in March during their much-watched CBS tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey. "To have a boy then a girl — what more can you ask for?" Harry shared at the time while reflecting on adding to their family, he continued, "Grateful, having any child, any one or a two would have been amazing, but to have a boy and then a girl ... now we've got our family, and we've got four of us.”