Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have released photos of their baby girl for the first time.
Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor made her official debut in the family’s new holiday card on Thursday, which also includes big brother Archie, who is 2.
The card, released on behalf of the organization Team Rubicon, shows the family of four with huge grins on all of their faces.
“This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world,” Harry and Meghan said in a statement released by their Archewell Foundation team. “Archie made us a ‘Mama’ and a ‘Papa,’ and Lili made us a family.”
“As we look forward to 2022, we have made donations on your behalf to several organizations that honor and protect families — from those being relocated from Afghanistan, to American families in need of paid parental leave,” the couple said before listing some of the charities they’ve donated to, including Team Rubicon, Human First Coalition, Humanity Crew, Paid Leave For All.
The photo was taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski at the Sussexes’ home in Santa Barbara, California, earlier this summer. Lubomirski previously photographed the couple for both their engagement and their wedding.
Lubomirski shared a special message alongside the family’s new holiday photo Thursday on his Instagram, calling it “one of those rare and special projects, that one is fortunate enough to be a part of.”
“To be able to continue the story of this family whom I first photographed as an engaged couple, then on the day of their wedding, as a married couple and now seeing their love manifest into two beautiful children, has been a delightful honour,” he wrote. “To be trusted by your subjects enough, to open themselves up and have their connection documented and translated into an image, is one of the greatest gifts a photographer can have.”
“This day with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was one such joyous experience, and one that I feel extremely privileged to have been invited to capture,” the photographer said in his sign-off.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their second child on June 4 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara.
Lili was named after her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, whose family nickname is Lilibet. The little one’s middle name is, of course, a nod to her late grandmother, Princess Diana. Lili is the queen’s 11th grandchild.
Harry and Meghan released a sweet statement after the birth of their baby, telling supporters that Lili was “more than we could have ever imagined.”
“We remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe,” the couple said in a joint statement of thanks on their Archewell website. “Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”
After Lili’s birth, both Harry and Meghan took off a few months for parental leave. The issue of paid parental leave is deeply personal to the Duchess of Sussex, who later advocated for it through an open letter to Congress, in bipartisan calls to senators, and during an in-person appearance at Andrew Ross Sorkin’s DealBook Online Summit in November.
Last year, Harry and Meghan’s holiday card featured the royal couple with Archie and their two dogs, Pula and Guy. The card was released by the international animal charity Mayhew, of which Meghan is a patron.
A spokesperson for the couple told HuffPost at the time that the photo was taken by Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, and then turned into a print.
“The small Christmas tree, including the homemade ornaments and other decorations, were selected by Archie, and the tree will be replanted after the holidays,” the spokesperson said.
For the couple’s 2019 Christmas card, they shared a black-and-white photo on behalf of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. The sweet photo showed Archie looking directly at the camera while the couple looked lovingly at their son.
The card was released just weeks before the couple announced they would be stepping back as senior working members of the royal family and their subsequent move to North America.
Prince William and Kate Middleton also released their holiday card earlier this month, featuring their three children ― Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis ― looking all grown up.
The photo of the family was taken in Jordan earlier this year, according to a Kensington Palace release, and looks similar to one the Duchess of Cambridge’s family took when they lived in Jordan.
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, shared their pandemic-appropriate holiday card, which features a photo of the couple wearing masks at Royal Ascot earlier this year.
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