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Meghan and Harry's baby daughter's name is also a subtle tribute to Prince Philip

On Friday 4 June, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their daughter into the world, a little girl Lilibet 'Lili' Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. The news was shared publicly via an official statement from the couple's representatives, which read: "It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet 'Lili' Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world... The Duke and Duchess thank you for your warm wishes and prayers as they enjoy this special time as a family."

The name chosen by the Sussexes for their second child is Queen Elizabeth's nickname, and her middle name is of course in honour of Princess Diana, Harry's mother. "Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales," explained the Duke and Duchess' official statement.

But the name was also a subtle tribute to Prince Harry's late grandfather, Prince Philip, who passed away in April at the age of 99. The Queen's nickname was one given to her by her parents, after she couldn't pronounce her own name as a young child. It stuck throughout the years, and there was only one other person who used that name for Queen Elizabeth: Prince Philip. The fact that Meghan and Harry chose specifically to name their daughter after Prince Philip's nickname for the Queen, as opposed to any variation on Elizabeth (like Eliza, for example) suggests it was a subtle way to honour Prince Harry's grandfather in their daughter, as well as his grandmother.

Prince Harry attended his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in London on 17 April, after travelling from his home in California to make the family event, and was pictured speaking to his brother, Prince William, on the way out of St George's Chapel in Windsor. Meghan, meanwhile, had to stay behind in the US, being heavily pregnant with Lili at the time.

After initially announcing their pregnancy on Valentine's Day this year, the Sussexes revealed it was a little girl they were expecting during their interview with Oprah Winfrey. And it seems some royal fans predicted that Lili might be the name of choice long ago.

As we reported back in April, the suggestion of Lilibet/Lili has featured numerous times on Twitter and in different Reddit threads about possible Meghan and Harry baby names. "I'm not sure how relationships are between the family, but Lily would be a cute way to honour the Queen (Lilibet)," wrote one royal fan earlier this year.

Photo credit: ADRIAN DENNIS - Getty Images
Photo credit: ADRIAN DENNIS - Getty Images

The idea was also put forward two years ago, just before Meghan gave birth to baby Archie and nobody knew whether they were expecting a boy or a girl. "I read a prediction somewhere that they could use Lily for the Queen because of her childhood nickname Lilibet and because of Meghan's wedding bouquet being Lily of the valley. I think that's really sweet," posted a Reddit user.

Lilibet didn't feature highly on many betting sites who were placing odds on the name of Archie's little sister, but Diana was widely predicted. Other name suggestions were Allegra, Maya, Isabella, and Alice.

Photo credit: Anwar Hussein - Getty Images
Photo credit: Anwar Hussein - Getty Images

Congratulations to Meghan, Harry and Archie on the arrival of Lili. We can't wait to see a photograph of her as and when the family decides to share one.

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