Shutterstock (2)
Duchess Kate ‘Can’t Wait to Meet’ Niece Lili’s Birth Amid Family Drama With Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
Royal auntie! Duchess Kate Middleton opened up about niece Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor’s birth amid family drama with the newborn’s parents, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
“I wish her all the very best,” the 39-year-old said during a school visit with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. “I can’t wait to meet her because I haven’t yet met her. So hopefully that will be soon.”
An insider previously told In Touch following the baby’s arrival that Queen Elizabeth was also excited to meet the newest member of the family. “The queen was one of the first people Harry and Meghan told about the birth and they’ve sent her photos,” the source explained at the time. “She has put the drama (from the interviews) aside.”
After Meghan, 39, and Harry, 36, stepped down from their roles as senior royal family members in January 2020, the couple made it a point to be vocal about battling mental health struggles and alleged racism as part of the royal family. They opened up during in a tell-all CBS special in March, and Harry spoke on the topic during an appearance on Dax Shepard‘s “Armchair Expert” podcast. He also went deep during his Apple+ docuseries, The Me You Can’t See, which premiered the following week.
Following Harry’s comments on “Armchair Expert” — during which he claimed that growing up as a royal family member was akin to living in a “zoo” — an insider told Us Weekly the monarch found the comment “hurtful.”
Harry and the former Suits star welcomed their daughter on June 4. “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,” a spokesperson for the couple revealed in a statement two days later on June 6. ”Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home.”
The statement also noted that the child was delivered “in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California.”
The tiny tot’s moniker is quite special to the family. “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet,” the statement read. “Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”
After having some practice with their son, Archie, in 2019, Harry is all about being a “hands-on” dad with his second child. “He has no problem whatsoever doing diaper duty and gets up in the middle of the night when Lili cries,” an insider previously told In Touch. “Obviously having a new baby takes up a lot of energy — especially when there’s a toddler in the mix too — but Harry and Meghan are enjoying every minute of it.”
Have a tip? Send it to us! Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com.
