Prince Harry and Meghan announce birth of baby daughter

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor on Friday at 11.40am at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California. Despite the tributes to Her Majesty and the late Princess of Wales, Dickie Arbiter, former royal press secretary, said he was “taken aback” by the name.

Mr Arbiter said Harry and Meghan’s choice to name their baby after Her Majesty after the Duke’s recent television comments is ‘quite controversial”.

He said: “Given everything that’s gone on over the past few months, such as the interview with Oprah in March and Harry’s appearance on a mental health programme for Apple TV, I’m taken aback.

“In those interviews, Harry was very critical of his father and his upbringing so by default was also critical of the Queen.

“He moved to California to distance himself, but choosing this name is a complete about-face.

“So I wonder if taking the Queen’s nickname for his baby is an olive branch? Only Harry can answer that.”

Writing for the Mirror, Mr Arbiter also mentioned how it was unusual for a baby to be christened with a nickname.

He said: “The Queen gave herself the nickname Lilibet because she couldn’t say Elizabeth as a child, and it stuck. I think it’s rather cute.

“It could be seen as quite controversial to christen a baby with a nickname, and I doubt the little girl will grow up with any other Lilibets in her classes (although people in California call their children all sorts).

“So maybe that’s Harry and Meghan showing their independence again – just like Archie, another non-royal name…

“I wonder what Diana would have made of their daughter having her name as a middle, and not a principal name? Charlotte also has Diana as a middle name so they could have chosen it for her first name.”

In a statement posted to their Archewell website, Meghan and Harry said they were “blessed” by their new arrival.

They added: “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.”

Buckingham Palace also welcomed the news, saying: “The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”

It comes after Harry’s recent appearance on AppleTV+’s ‘The Me You Can’t See’, which featured sensational claims about the Royal Family.

The Duke accused his father Prince Charles of making him and Prince William “suffer” as he did growing up.

He said on the programme: “My father used to say to me, when I was younger, he used to say to both William and I, ‘Well, it was like that for me. So it’s going to be like that for you.’

“That doesn’t make sense — just because you suffered it doesn’t mean that your kids have to suffer.”

“In fact, quite the opposite. If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure that whatever negative experiences that you had, that you can make it right for your kids.”

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