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Queen Elizabeth Responds to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Naming Their Daughter After Her

Queen Elizabeth officially has a new great-grandchild! And this one has a very specific connection to Her Majesty—she was named after Gan-Gan’s famous nickname.

Over the weekend, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed that they welcomed their second child, a baby girl named Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. The news was shared with a message from the royal couple that said, “The Duke and Duchess thank you for your warm wishes and prayers as they enjoy this special time as a family.”

The name Lilibet comes from Prince Harry's grandmother, whose childhood nickname was (you guessed it) “Lilibet.” The queen was given the name because she couldn't pronounce “Elizabeth” as a toddler, so her grandfather, King George V, imitated her own attempts and it stuck. In fact, the nickname was so popular that Prince Philip also affectionately used it for his wife as a pet name in private.

Following the exciting news, the 95-year-old monarch released a sweet statement of her own on the official royal family IG account.

The message read: “Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the birth of Lilibet Diana! The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted with the news. Lilibet is Her Majesty’s 11th great-grandchild.”

Queen Elizabeth’s nickname isn’t the only family connection to the newborn. The baby’s middle name, Diana, was chosen as a way to honor her beloved late grandmother, the Princess of Wales.

Congrats on 11, Elizabeth. We can’t believe there are officially two Lilibets in the royal fam.

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