Sunday June 6, 2021 | INTERNATIONAL
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
In a formal announcement issued to media and posted on Twitter this morning — embargoed for release at 9 am June 6, 2021 Pacific Time, the Duke & Duchess of Sussex (aka Harry and Meghan) announced the birth of their second child, a daughter.
They’ve named their daughter Lilibet Diana Windsor-Mountbatten. Lilibet has been Queen Elizabeth’s lifelong nickname among close family members. Of course, Diana is the name of Harry’s mother, the Late Princess Diana.
Lilibet (Lili) Diana was born at 11:40 am on Friday June 4, 2021 in Santa Barbara, California. Lili weighed 7 lb 11 oz at birth.
The naming of a royal child is important business. The names of this new daughter come in order of hierarchy in the British Royal Family — i.e. the Queen first, then the (ex-) wife of the hier to the throne and (now-deceased) mother of the third-in-line to the throne.
Even though Harry made worldwide headlines in 2019-2020 in departing from his nest within the Royal Family along with his wife Meghan (in relatively short order after their royal marriage in mid-May 2018), including a relocation to the United States (Meghan’s country of birth) after a brief pit-stop in coastal Vancouver Island, he continues to try and keep one foot within the inner circle of the Royal Family — as the naming of his daughter strongly implies. Sort of a pop-in royal, if you will, despite the challenges that he and Meghan outlined in an interview with Oprah Winfrey just three months ago.
The shortened nickname for Harry and Meghan’s new daughter — as highlighted in the announcement — is ‘Lili’, which actually might also be a powerful nod to Diana given that white lilies were her favourite flower, also used to adorn her casket in 1997 after her untimely death in a car crash in France.
Queen Elizabeth II is now the longest-reigning British Monarch, surpassing the duration of the reign of Queen Victoria. Her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, passed away recently (less than two months ago, on April 9) at the age of 99.
The Sussex’s firsborn child, son Archie Harrison, was born on May 6, 2019 and introduced to the world two days later.
Prince Harry is sixth in line to the British Throne (after his father Charles, his brother William, and William’s children George, Charlotte and Louis), with his son Archie seventh and now Lili eighth.
===== RELATED:
Social insights – a modern royal wedding – Island Social Trends editorial (May 19, 2018 )
Meghan Markle gives birth to baby boy (May 6, 2019) | Archie Harrison is introduced to the world (May 8, 2019)
Invictus Games to be held in Germany in 2022 (January 16, 2020)
Short COVID-distanced funeral for Prince Philip (April 17, 2021)
