Prince William and Kate have joined other senior royals in congratulating Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on the ‘happy news’ of their daughter’s birth.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said they were ‘delighted’ by the arrival of baby Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor who was born on Friday at 11.40am at a Californian hospital.
The couple passed on their best wishes and ‘congratulations’ to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as well as their son Archie.
They well-wishes were joined by Harry’s father Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall who shared congratulations on social media.
The Prince of Wales also noted Lilibet’s middle name, Diana, given in honour of his late wife and Harry’s mother Princess Diana.
The Queen, Prince Charles , Camilla and Prince William and Kate released a joint statement announcing that they had been ‘informed’ of the news. Pictured: Harry and Meghan other senior royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony in June 2018
Well wishes were sent out by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Harry’s father Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, congratulating Harry, Meghan and their son Archie on the birth of Lilibet Diana
‘Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie on the arrival of baby Lilibet Diana. Wishing them all well at this special time,’ they said.
Earlier, The Queen sent her best wishes in a joint statement with the Cambridges and the Prince of Wales who had made a touching tribute to her by naming their daughter ‘Lilibet’, short for Elizabeth.
The official Royal Family Twitter account tweeted: ‘Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the birth of Lilibet Diana!
‘The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted with the news. Lilibet is Her Majesty’s 11th great-grandchild.’
An earlier shortened statement had been given out by Buckingham Palace, confirming that the senior royals had been ‘informed’ of the birth.
News of the royal birth took two days to be announced, with Meghan confirmed to be back at home settling in the newborn today after her press secretary broke the news earlier. Pictured: The couple in Montecito earlier this year
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: ‘The Queen, The Prince of Wales & The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge have been informed & are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.’
A source has told Us Weekly that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also ‘sent Lilibet a gift’ after hearing of her birth.
The royals have not met the Duchess of Sussex or baby Archie in person since they left in March 2020 initially for Canada before settling in the US.
They were however reunited with Prince Harry in April after he flew back from California to attend the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip.
News of the royal birth took two days to be announced, with Meghan confirmed to be back at home settling in the newborn today after her press secretary broke the news earlier.
Unlike with their son Archie who was born in 2019 the couple Harry have not yet released a photo of their daughter.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: ‘The Queen, The Prince of Wales & The Duchess of Cornwall , and The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge have been informed & are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’
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’
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.