Lilibet Diana, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s first child, was born on June 2, 2021. She is Queen Elizabeth’s 11th great-grandchild and the couple’s second child. Her surname honors two significant women in the royal family’s history, but has the queen met the woman who bears her name?
The meaning behind Lilibet Diana’s name
Lilibet pays homage to the monarch of the United Kingdom. It’s her family’s nickname, bestowed upon her as a child. The moniker came about because young Elizabeth couldn’t pronounce her own name correctly, and it sounded like Lilibet. It stayed with me after that. Her grandparents, as well as both of her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, called her by that nickname as a child. The queen also used that name to sign cards and notes to her closest friends and family.
Queen Elizabeth signed a personal note to Prince Philip from Lilibet atop the casket of her late husband, Prince Philip, during his funeral in April 2021. According to reports, the late prince was the last person to address the royal ruler by her nickname.
Lilibet’s middle name is Lilibet, which is a tribute to the late Princess of Wales. Diana Spencer, Prince Harry’s late mother, was married to his father, Prince Charles, from 1981 to 1996. On August 31, 1997, she was tragically killed in a car accident in Paris, France.
Has the Queen met Lilibet Diana?
Queen Elizabeth has yet to meet her great-granddaughter in person. When Prince Harry traveled to the United Kingdom to attend his grandfather’s funeral, she last saw him. The two had a “very special” reunion in April, according to a new epilogue in the tell-all “Finding Freedom.” Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harry and the Queen had been separated for more than a year. Because she was in the final months of her pregnancy and was advised not to travel by her doctors, the Duchess of Sussex did not attend Prince Philip’s funeral.
The monarch has had a remote view of the child. According to People Magazine, the queen first saw her namesake great-granddaughter via video call shortly after she was born.
When was the last time Queen Elizabeth saw great grandson Archie?
The last time the queen saw Markle and Harry’s first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor, was when he was a baby. Markle and Harry moved to Canada shortly after his birth. In January 2020, the couple announced their departure from their roles as senior royals and relocated to the United States, settling in Markle’s home state of California.
The royal family is expected to return to the United Kingdom in June 2022 for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which will mark the monarch’s historic 70 years on the throne. The palace has yet to confirm Markle and Harry’s attendance at this historic event.
How many great-grandchildren does Queen Elizabeth have?
Queen Elizabeth has 11 great-grandchildren, according to E! Entertainment. Lilibet is followed by her brother Archie, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princes George and Louis, and Princess Charlotte of the United Kingdom. August, Princess Eugenie’s son, is the only child of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. This fall, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are expecting their first child. Zara Tindall has three children with her husband Mike: Lucas, Lena Elizabeth, and Mia Grace. Isla Elizabeth and Savannah Anne Kathleen Phillips are the children of Peter Phillips and his ex-wife Autumn.
