Royal family sends love to Prince Harry, Meghan on birth of baby girl

Meghan, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, has given birth to her second child, a girl, whom she and her husband Prince Harry have named after Queen Elizabeth and his late mother Princess Diana.

Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born on Friday at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, with Harry in attendance.

The choice of name pays tribute to the queen after a difficult year for the couple and the wider royal family. Lilibet is a family nickname for the 95-year-old British monarch.

Buckingham Palace said the queen, Harry’s father Prince Charles, and his brother and wife, Prince William and Kate, were delighted with the news. Here are all the reactions from the royal family:

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, IN A STATEMENT

“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.”

PRINCE CHARLES AND CAMILLA, DUCHESS OF CORNWALL, VIA TWITTER

“Congratulations to Harry, Meghan, and Archie on the arrival of baby Lilibet Diana. Wishing them all well at this special time.”

THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE, VIA TWITTER

“We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili. Congratulations to Harry, Meghan, and Archie.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also sent his regards. “Many congratulations to The Duke & Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their daughter,” he said.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced the birth with a statement that said, “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,” they said.

“Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”

Harry and Meghan said Lilibet’s middle name was chosen to honor her grandmother, Princess Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997.

Both mother and baby – who is eighth in line to the throne – were doing well and were back at home, their press secretary said.

The birth of Lilibet comes almost a year and a half after Harry and Meghan announced that they intended to step down from their royal roles, plunging the family into crisis.

The situation deteriorated sharply in March this year when they gave an explosive interview to U.S. chat show host Oprah Winfrey, accusing one unnamed royal of making a racist remark and saying Meghan’s pleas for help when she felt suicidal were ignored.

The 39-year-old, whose mother is Black and father is white, said she had been naive before marrying into royalty.

The couple said they would be taking parental leave from their charity Archewell and have asked people who want to send gifts to support or learn about charities doing work for women and girls, the Archewell website said.