LOS ANGELES: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced on Sunday the birth of their daughter Lilibet Diana, named for Harry’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and late mother, the Princess of Wales, after a year of increasingly strained ties between the couple and the British royal family.

Their daughter, who will be eighth in line to the British throne, was born healthy on Friday in the southern California city of Santa Barbara and is now at home with Meghan in Los Angeles.

“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,” said a statement from Harry and Meghan.

“She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz. Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home,” the statement said of the couple’s second child.

Shortly after the announcement, well-wishing statements began pouring in from around the world, led by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“Many congratulations to The Duke & Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their daughter,” he wrote in a tweet.

The couple live near Los Angeles following their decision to quit frontline royal duties early last year.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2021