Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Release Gorgeous Portrait Of Daughter Lilibet

Jun 07, 2022 by apost team

June 4 is a special day for the Sussex family as it's the birthday of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter Lilibet. The 12th great-grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth was born on June 4, 2021, in Santa Monica, California. Queen Elizabeth was believed to have finally met her youngest great-grandchild in person at her Platinum Jubilee celebration as Harry and Meghan were in attendance to celebrate her incredible milestone in June 2022. 

Harry and Meghan had traveled to the UK for the first time since moving to the US in 2020 to celebrate the queen's jubilee, which was a four-day holiday weekend to mark Elizabeth's incredible 70-year-reign. The couple's first public appearance at a royal event in more than two years happened on Friday, June 03, 2022, when they attended a thanksgiving service for the queen which took place at the prestigious St Paul's Cathedral.

However, the Sussexes were not invited to join the queen and the rest of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony for her iconic Trooping the Colour parade. However, Washington Post reported that photographers caught a glimpse of Meghan playing with some of Elizabeth's great-grandchildren in a window of Buckingham Palace while the parade took place. 

While Harry and Meghan have faced a lot of criticism for their decision to leave their duties as royals to opt for a quieter life in the US, their attendance at the Queen's jubilee was appreciated, and more importantly, gave Lilibet and her brother Archie a beautiful celebration of their great-grandmother. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex first announced that they were expecting their second child on Valentine's Day in 2021, only to reveal the baby's sex during the March 2021 interview special "Oprah with Meghan and Harry."

For months before the announcement of the birth, people across the world wondered if Harry would choose to pay tribute to his mother and grandmother with the birth of his daughter. Royal watchers had previously predicted that Harry and Meghan would choose to honor both the late Queen and the late Prince Philip by picking a meaningful name for their daughter according to Express UK. 

PEOPLE reported that the statement from the couple following Lilibet's birth read, "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 continued, "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. Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home."

The baby girl's name is truly meaningful as well, as all royal fans would know, and this was also addressed in the statement. "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."

Harry and Meghan's spokesperson concluded their statement, "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"

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“My husband and I are thrilled to soon be welcoming a daughter,” Meghan said of her second-born child in May 2021, ahead of her birth. “It’s a feeling of joy we share with millions of other families around the world. When we think of her, we think of all the other families around the globe who must be given the ability and support to lead us forward. Their future leadership depends on the decisions we make and the actions we take now to set them up and to set all of us up for a successful, equitable and compassionate tomorrow.”

At the time, the couple’s big announcement was the first bit of good news the royal family had in a while, given the saddening events of the previous years, which were filled with strife and mourning. Prince Philip, who was the child’s great-grandfather, passed away on April 9, 2021, at 99 years old. At the time, Meghan could not make it to Philip’s funeral because doctors advised against traveling to the U.K. while pregnant.

Meghan and Harry's daughter became a princess after King Charles became king, as grandchildren of the king are automatically granted prince and princess status, according to Elle.

Naturally, the royal family was extremely thrilled to have a new baby to love, especially considering the fact that Lilibet was the queen’s 12th great-grandchild.

The story behind Lili's first name is truly sweet. As many royal fans might know, the queen's close family called her "Lilibet" after the very young princess was unable to pronounce her own name. The queen’s parents and grandparents adopted the adorable nickname, and it has remained her nickname ever since.

Her late father, George VI, was once quoted as saying: "Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy."

However, no other royal family members apart from Philip and the queen’s parents reportedly called her "Lilibet," which meant that her sweet nickname was likely no longer used after Philip's death. While it was only a prediction and not an assumption that the queen's 12th great-grandchild would be called "Lily," Harry and Meghan went one step further and gave their daughter a remarkable name. 

Meghan and Harry were extremely private about sharing pictures of their children, but fans were thrilled to know that the couple finally released a photograph of Lilibet on the occasion of her 1st birthday. Posted by photographer Misan Harriman, the beautiful portrait caught the attention of royal enthusiasts around the world and captured people's hearts.

The post was captioned, "It was such a privilege to celebrate the 1st birthday of Lilibet with my family and hers! Joy and face painting all around ❤️🎂🎉" 

Internet users were beyond happy to see an up-close and personal picture of the young princess. The picture on Instagram had over 75,000 likes and many comments. 

One kind Instagram user said, "Wow what a beautiful girl Lili is.Thank you for sharing. Absolutely gorgeous. ❤️❤️❤️." Another person commented on the picture and said, "Special memories and I always adore your photos of this family 🎂🎉✨."

The photo featured a beaming Lilibet wearing a baby blue dress with a white bow in her hair. The photo quickly became an internet sensation and has been spread through many news outlets. Like her brother Archie, Lilibet has inherited her father's signature red hair! We hope that Lilibet had a wonderful 1st birthday and wish her the best. 

What sort of relationship do you think Lilibet will have with the royal family? Let us know what you think — and be sure to pass the great news of Lili's birthday on to friends and family members.