While their first child, 2-year-old sonArchie, was born in London, his younger sibling arrived in Santa Barbara, California, on Friday.
According to theU.K. government, “British citizenship is normally automatically passed down one generation to children born outside the U.K.” So while Lili will automatically be a British citizen, any future children she might have would have to apply for U.K. citizenship if they born outside her father’s native country.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.Chris Jackson/Getty
The palace previously said that Meghan, 39, hadplans to become a U.K. citizen(which is known to be a lengthy process) after marrying her husband, 36. The couple has not addressed whether Meghan’s bid to become a British citizen will continue since the family relocated to California in the summer of 2020.
As for Archie, because both of his parents were citizens of their respective countries at the time of his birth at a London hospital in May 2019, he is also a dual citizen. All children born overseas to a married American and non-citizen get automatic citizenship as long as the citizen parent had been in the U.S. for at least five years before the child was born.
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On Sunday, Meghan and Harry shared the news of their daughter’s birth in a statement.
“Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet,” they wrote. “Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”
Listen below toour daily podcast PEOPLE Every Dayfor more onPrince HarryandMeghan Markle’s new daughter, Lilibet Diana.
The name Lili alsoholds special meaning for Meghan. Her motherDoria Raglandlovingly gave her the childhood nickname “Flower,” and Meghan incorporated lily of the valley into her bridal bouquet in 2018.
source: people.com
