Meghan Markle Gives Birth to Baby No. 2
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s newest bundle of joy has arrived!
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have welcomed a baby girl, a baby sister for their 2-year-old son Archie Harrison, a spokesperson for the couple announced on Sunday, June 6. Her name pays tribute to both Queen Elizabeth II and Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana.
“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 statement said. “Lili was born on Friday, June 4 at 11:40 a.m. in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA. She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz.”
The statement continued, “Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home. 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. This is the second child for the couple, who also have a two-year-old son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke and Duchess thank you for your warm wishes and prayers as they enjoy this special time as a family.”
Meghan and Harry also said in a personal message posted on their Archewell charity website, “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.”
The website also stated, “While the Duke and Duchess are on parental leave, Archewell will continue to do important work and publish stories on the site. We look forward to seeing you!”
In addition, the message read, “For those inquiring on sending gifts, we would ask that you support or learn more about these organizations working for women and girls: Girls Inc., Harvest Home, CAMFED or Myna Mahila Foundation.”
Meghan and Harry announced their pregnancy on Valentine’s Day with a photo of the couple that showed the 39-year-old actress and activist’s baby bump. “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother,” a representative said at the time. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”
During their explosive tell-all sit-down with Oprah Winfrey that CBS aired on March 7, the twosome revealed they’re expecting a baby girl, and that the child would arrive in the summertime.
Harry, 36, couldn’t contain his excitement as he gushed to Oprah about his little girl on the way. “To have any child, any one or any two would have been amazing,” he said, “But to have a boy and then a girl, you know, what more can you ask for? But now, you know, now we’ve got our family. We’ve got, you know, the four of us and our two dogs, and it’s great.”
As for whether more little ones might be in the cards, the couple, who are currently based in Santa Barbara, Calif., told the TV icon they would be done once they welcome the second baby, with Meghan adding, “Two is it.”
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A month earlier, Harry gave rare insight into their family life during an appearance on friend James Corden‘s The Late Late Show. When asked what a typical day is like, he told James, “Depending on how the day’s been, how busy it’s been: Do Archie’s tea, give him a bath, read him a book, put him down, go downstairs, Meg might cook a meal, might order a takeaway, go upstairs, sit in bed, turn the TV on, watch some Jeopardy!, maybe watch a little bit of Netflix.”
Harry also gushed about Archie’s “amazing personality” and revealed that the boy’s first word was crocodile. He added, “He’s already putting three, four words together. He’s already singing songs.”
Though this is certainly a joyous occasion worth celebrating, Meghan and Harry have endured their share of difficult moments since their magical wedding ceremony in May 2018.
In a New York Times piece published in Nov. 2020, Meghan candidly wrote about the “unbearable grief” she experienced after suffering a miscarriage in July. “I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child,” she shared, “that I was losing my second.”
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Later, as she clutched her husband’s hand from her hospital bed, “I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles,” she wrote, “wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal.”
Finding ways to heal—ways to move forward—has been a constant in their relationship. Back in January 2020, the couple announced their decision to step back from royal duties, which became permanent in February 2021. During the Oprah interview, they shed more light on their reasons for leaving, including racism Meghan says she experienced and the devastating impact royal life had on her mental health.
On top of everything else, the past year has been a trying one for the entire world amid the coronavirus pandemic. But Meghan and Harry were able to find their silver lining, thanks to Archie.
“In so many ways, we are fortunate to be able to have this time to watch him grow, and in the absence of COVID, we would be traveling and working more externally,” Meghan explained during a video interview in October 2020. “We’d miss a lot of those moments. So I think it’s been a lot of really good family time.”
Now that the pair have welcomed their girl, the Suits alum is finally able to cherish the daughter she’s dreamed about for years. Back in 2015, she revealed she had splurged on a Cartier French Tank watch when her USA legal drama landed a third season. “I had it engraved on the back, ‘To M.M. From M.M.'” she explained to Hello!, “and I plan to give it to my daughter one day.”
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