Prince Harry is honoring his mother through his daughter, who was born on June 4, 2021.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their beautiful baby girl Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor on June 4, 2021.
The couple announced the birth of their second child through the website of their non-profit Archewell Foundation. They wrote, "We were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. 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," according to People.
The couple further revealed that their child was named after Queen Elizabeth and Harry's late mother, Princess Diana. "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," said the statement.
Though Harry's homage to Diana is not surprising, many believe his decision to name his daughter after her would help him heal from the scars of the past. Though it has been years since her passing, Harry is still tormented by the last conversation he had with her, according to The Sun.
Just a day before her death in 1997, Diana, who was in France at the time, called Harry and William. The boys, then aged 12 and 15 respectively, were at the Queen's Scottish estate in Balmoral with other members of the royal family. The conversation between the children and Diana lasted just a few minutes as they were in the midst of a game with their cousins. Unaware of the dreadful future, little Harry hastily ended the calls with his mother.
The following day, Diana passed away. Years later, Prince Harry candidly recalled the incident in the documentary Our Mother Diana: Her Life and Legacy. "If I’d known that that was the last time I was going to speak to my mother, the things that I would—the things I would have said to her," said Harry, according to Marie Claire.
"There’s not a day that William and I don’t wish that she was still around. We wonder what kind of a mother she would be now, and what kind of a public role she would have, and what a difference she would be making," said Prince Harry.
However, Diana's death heavily impacted Prince Harry. Unable to express his grief, Harry struggled with mental health issues for a long time. “I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs, willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling,” said Harry, according to New York Times.
“I would probably drink a week’s worth in one day on a Friday or a Saturday night and I would find myself drinking not because I was enjoying it but because I was trying to mask something,” said the 36-year-old in his latest docu-series The Me You Can’t See.
Fortunately, Harry's battle with mental health took a positive turn after he met Meghan, who encouraged him to seek help.
Harry, who now has a lovely family, is sure that his mother is proudly looking down at him. He is also certain that if his mother was alive, she would have had a great relationship with his wife, Meghan.
Princess Diana is surely guiding her little boy and is close to him through his daughter Lili.
References:
https://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-prince-harry-welcome-baby-girl-named-lilibet/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15195065/prince-harrys-newborn-lilibet-diana-help-him-heal/
https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/a33858502/prince-harry-princess-diana-last-phone-call/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/21/world/europe/prince-harry-oprah-mental-health.html
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo (L) John Phillips and (R) Len Trievnor
