Prince Harry and Meghan's daughter Lilibet finally added to royal line of succession

NZ Herald

27 Jul, 2021 12:25 AM3 mins to read

Prince Harry and Meghan and their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. Photo / Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter has finally been added to the line of succession on the official royal family website. And it only took seven weeks of media scrutiny to get there.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born on June 4 in California where the couple now lives. While she doesn't have a royal title, she is officially eighth in line to the throne.

But until today, the official royal family website, which showcases the line of succession, had not been updated to show she had been born.

The lack of update prompted both fans and media to question why this was the case and the update had taken so long.

When older brother Archie was born, the update was made two weeks after he was born and when Prince Louis arrived in 2018, the update was made 12 days after his birth.

However, a spokesman for Buckingham Palace previously said the royal family website is "updated periodically".

So what does Lilibet's new place in the line of succession mean for other royals?

Prince Andrew took the biggest hit, being knocked off of eighth place, and down to ninth. Of course, this also meant that everyone below Andrew on the list also dropped down one place.

Above her in the list is Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince Harry and her brother Archie.

Prince Harry and Meghan took inspiration for their daughter's name from the Queen's childhood nickname but said they will call her "Lili".

In a statement, the couple said: "Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet.

"Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her beloved late grandmother, the Princess of Wales."

Lilibet was also a pet name used for the monarch but the late Duke of Edinburgh.

Although it was originally given to her by her grandfather, King George V, because of the way she pronounced her own name.