Princess Adeline, Duchess of Clarence

Chapter Seventy-Four: Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor

6 June 2021 

On 4 June, 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.

The Office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

####

York House

"Lilibet?" Adeline asked unsure if she had heard the news right, that Harry and Meghan had decided to take a deeply personal nickname for their grandmother which had only been used by a handful of people and give it to their newborn daughter. 

The news had come two days after Lilibet had been born, just hours before the couple had announced to the world that Meghan had given birth to their daughter. 

Not only had the birth announcement come two days after the birth but the announcement of her name had come with it; a name that would certainly have people talking after everything that had happened in recent months. 

"They said she would be known as Lili," William said shaking his head, it had been him that had come to break the news to Adeline before she stepped out for her engagement for the afternoon. 

No doubt the press would be eager for comments from the family upon the birth of their niece, that the eighth in line to the throne had been born secretly days earlier and no one was any the wiser. 

Adeline nodded her head and took a deep breath, her face revealing nothing as she stood in her kitchen glad that the children weren't home and she had a moment of privacy to process this. 

It was something that she had known was coming, like with Archie and yet there was a little sadness to the fact that like her nephew it was highly unlikely that she would ever really get to know her niece. 

Archie and Lilibet would be kept away from their family, would grow up likely hating them all for the perceived slights that their parents spouted for not getting their own way. 

It would be a lonely childhood, never knowing their cousins or the summers in the countryside that Adeline, William and Harry had known growing up; it wasn't like they had Meghan's family that they could fall back on either. 

"He phoned Granny this morning. Announced the name as if it was nothing," William said frowning, it was bad enough that he hadn't asked for a blessing on the name especially given it's personal nature. 

The Queen was still grieving the loss of her beloved husband, the very last person that had called her Lilibet and now the name was being used for a child that she would likely not get to see. 

Adeline sighed, of course her brother would not think twice about giving such a name to his daughter especially not after how he had named his son. 

Archie had been a security nickname for George, one that George had picked for himself and he proudly announced to people when he met them while out with his grandmother. 

The entire situation itself was just odd and Adeline doubted that it would end here, not with Harry and Meghan set to push out more content in the coming years. 

There were already talks about the book that Harry was writing, no doubt with help from a ghost writer, a television series or two with Netflix also planned along with a podcast for Meghan. 

The entire situation turned her stomach, Adeline didn't think that things would return to how they had been; that the peace that her family had known had completely disappeared.