Queen invites Harry to the palace as she meets Lilibet on video call

Queen Elizabeth has reportedly invited Prince Harry for lunch at Windsor Castle when he’s back in the UK next month, just after meeting baby LIlibet over video call.

The Duke of Sussex will be returning to Britain for the unveiling of a statue in honour of his late mother, Princes Diana, on July 1 and his grandmother the queen wants to reconnect with Harry following his move to California and his stepping down from senior royal duties.

Since his move Stateside with his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex the couple criticised their treatment within the British royal family during a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The 36-year-old former army captain also opened up on his mental health struggles growing up as a royal in the wake of his mother Diana's death in 1997, when he was just 12, and the effect that momentous moment had on the rest of his life in Apple TV+ docuseries The Me you Can't See.

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According to the Richard Eden column in the Daily Mail, a source said: "It’s a typically magnanimous gesture by Her Majesty. The lunch will be a chance for them to talk things through.”

The queen's invitation was made before the birth of Harry and Meghan's daughter Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor on June 4.

The moniker chose by the couple is actually Queen Elizabeth's nickname, whilst the baby's middle name is Diana.

According to People magazine, the Sussexes introduced the Queen to Lilibet over a video call.

"They were very excited and couldn't wait to share that their daughter arrived," they said.

A spokesperson for the couple also told the publication that Archie is "very happy to have a little sister".

A statement released on their Archewell website after Lilibet's birth read: "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."

After announcing the birth of their daughter Buckingham Palace confirmed the queen, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as well his brother Prince William and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge were all "delighted" with the news.

The palace said in a statement: "The Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news."

While the Prince of Wales tweeted separately: "Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie on the arrival of baby Lilibet Diana. Wishing them all well at this special time."

However, some were not very impressed by the move, considering the couple has been very vocal about their time in the royal family in a number of recent bombshell interviews.

The royal commentary blog and Instagram account From Berkshire to Buckingham, has slammed the couple for doing just this.

"Obviously a lot of us find Harry and Meghan’s choice of name odd," The account wrote. "People can name their children what they want and often do (e.g., Apple, North, and the like), but this decision is particularly jarring. I think we all knew Diana would be incorporated, which is fine.

"For a first name, though, my money was on Philippa (the feminine form of Philip, which can then be shortened to Pippa). They went even farther, though, by giving the Queen’s family nickname—Lilibet—to their daughter as a first name.

"A nickname is intimate and it is personal. It feels strange to watch Harry and Meghan viciously attack both the monarchy as an institution—an institution Elizabeth has dedicated her life to defending—and the family itself, and then to turn around and take the very unique pet name the Queen has had from childhood and give it to their daughter.

"We all know Lilibet is or has been the family’s nickname for the Queen, but no one calls her that, because we are not her family. So it’s a very personal thing that, in some sense, belongs to her. Because the name is such a familiar and intimate one, by using it, it feels like Harry and Meghan are trying to signal to the world they are still on intimate terms with the Queen and therefore with the fount of royalty. They are using this opportunity to very publicly remind and reclaim their royal status."

Extra reporting by Bang Showbiz

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