Lilibet Diana has been added to the list of the royal line of succession seven weeks after her birth.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on June 4 in Santa Barbara, California, and is eighth in line to the throne.
Over the weekend, widespread media coverage has focused on the fact she had been so far excluded from the official royal website, with the page still listing Prince Andrew as eight in the line.
Prince Andrew was forced to step back from official duties in late 2019 because of a scandal concerning his ties to convicted s** offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“The line of succession on the @RoyalFamily website has just been updated to include the Sussexes’ second child: Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, who is eighth in line to the throne,” Omid Scobie, the Sussexes’ friend has tweeted. “She was born on June 4.”
Her place comes after her big brother, Archie, 2, and is behind Prince Harry, who is currently sixth in line to Queen Elizabeth’s throne. The couple’s firstborn Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was added to the list two weeks after he was born in 2019.
When Prince William and Kate Middleton’s third child, Louis was born in 2018, his name was added to the list after 12 days. He appears on the list at No. 5 just after his big sister, Princess Charlotte, and before his uncle, Prince Harry.
When royals Zara and Mike Tindall’s son Lucas was born in March of this year, the baby’s name was added right away.
Meanwhile, August Brooksbank, the son of Princess Eugenie and 11th in line to the throne was added to the list no earlier than April 10, 60 days after he was born.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said this morning that the website is “updated periodically” and Lilibet’s name was added hours later.
The legal basis for the line of succession dates back to the 17th century and the reign of William III or also known as William of Orange. It was most recently revised in 2013 to end the system of male primogeniture, which automatically placed male heirs above their sisters in the line of succession.
At the same time, the changes also removed a historic rule that a royal could not keep their position on the list if they married a Roman Catholic. The changes came into force in March 2015, but only apply to royal children born after October 28, 2011.
Lilibet was named after Queen Elizabeth II’s childhood nickname, while her middle name Diana was in tribute to Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, Princess of Wales.
Editor Chris Ship from ITV Royal said that it seemed as though the royal family was perhaps making a point by taking this long to add Lilibet to the line of succession.
“All they have got to do is hit the paragraph button and put in a different number,” he said. “They must have done it before. They did it for Archie.”
“Clearly they did it for Louis when he was born,” he added. “And they have done it for some of the other children like August that have been born as well. So where’s Lilibet? I can forgive them a week or two but a month?”
“Is it them saying, “We will get around to it when ready?” It does feel like to me, maybe, they are making a point,” he added.
Critics had claimed the Royal Family was “making a point” by delaying the new addition as tensions remain high.
The delay comes after Prince Harry and Meghan alleged in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March that they were mistreated by the other royals before they made the decision to step back from their duties within the family and move to California to live without the family’s resources.
The latest venture for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be his $20 million book deal for a memoir that many believe will share even more details about his time in the royal family.
Penguin Random House announced that it will publish the memoir by Prince Harry. The company said the book will cover his childhood to the present day, including the duke’s dedication to service, his military duty, and his joy as a father and husband.
Recent reports also said that Prince Harry and Meghan want Lilibet christened at Windsor Castle just like their son Archie. The couple would also like the Queen to be present at the said event.