The Queen has met her great-granddaughter, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s newborn Lilibet, on a “very exciting” video call.
The Queen has reportedly met Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s second child via video call.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor on Friday in Santa Barbara, California, naming her after the 95-year-old monarch and Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana.
And the former senior royals were said to be “very excited” to introduce their bundle of joy to the Queen as soon as they returned home from hospital, after earlier informing her of their intentions to pay tribute to her in their daughter’s name.
Prince Philip, who died in April, affectionately referred to his wife of 73 years as “Lilibet”.
A source told People magazine, which has long been the publication of choice for Meghan and Harry’s close friends to share insights, said the couple called the Queen after they returned home from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital following the birth.
The source said Meghan and Harry were “very excited and couldn’t wait to share that their daughter arrived”.
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Lilibet’s name also serves as a small tribute to 39-year-old Meghan’s own mother, Doria Ragland, who nicknamed her daughter “flower” in her youth.
Meghan and Harry have made repeated public statements blasting the British royal family this year, including in their Oprah Winfrey interview in March and in Harry’s AppleTV+ documentary, The Me You Can’t See,
Harry said the institution failed to support him and his wife Meghan in the face of intense media scrutiny and their mental health struggles.
Despite this, the Duke still shares a “remarkable bond” with his grandmother.
Royal historian Robert Lacey told People the pair have remained close since Diana’s death in 1997.
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The families maintain contact through video communication, with Harry telling Late Late Show host James Corden in February that the Queen and Philip used Zoom to see their great-grandchild, Archie, 2.
“They’ve seen Archie running around,” Harry said at the time. “My grandfather instead of pressing ‘leave meeting’ he just goes ‘doof’ (shuts the laptop). “So, we’re like ‘Ok, bye,’” he joked.
As for when the Queen might get to meet little Lilibet in person, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been invited to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June next year, and are expected to attend.
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Harry will make a solo trip to London next month for the unveiling of a statue for Princess Diana, who would have been turning 60.
He returned to the UK for the first time in a year in April for Philip’s funeral.
