Prince Harry Texted Kate Middleton When Lilibet Was Born

thiepval, france july 1 l r prince harry, catherine, duchess of cambridge and prince william, duke of cambridge during the commemoration of the centenary of the battle of the somme at the commonwealth war graves commission thiepval memorial on july 1, 2016 in thiepval, france the event is part of the commemoration of the centenary of the battle of the somme at the commonwealth war graves commission thiepval memorial in thiepval, france, where 70,000 british and commonwealth soldiers with no known grave are commemorated photo by steve parsons poolgetty images

(Image credit: Pool)

last updated 29 November 2021

It's no secret that, in recent years, the relationship between Prince Harry and his older brother, Prince William (opens in new tab), has been strained.
Sources close to the royal family say that William's wife, Kate Middleton, is a peacemaker between the brothers and that this role has only become more important as things have become more strained between them.
A Palace source recently commented on reports that Harry shared the news of his daughter Lilibet's birth with the Cambridges (opens in new tab) by texting Kate instead of telling his brother directly as a way of "cementing her role as a bridge between him and his brother."

Kate Middleton (opens in new tab) is considered the "bridge" between Prince William and Prince Harry, according to a royal source.

This has apparently been the case for a while, but it was emphasized earlier this month when Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle (opens in new tab), welcomed their daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor (opens in new tab), and Harry texted his sister-in-law with the news instead of telling his brother directly.

According to The Mail on Sunday, a Palace source said Harry sending the text message to Kate was a way of "cementing her role as a bridge between him and his brother."

After news of baby Lili's birth (opens in new tab) was made public, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a post on their official Instagram account to congratulate the Sussexes on the newest member of their family.

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@dukeandduchessofcambridge) (opens in new tab)
A photo posted by on

"We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili," Will and Kate wrote on Instagram, along with a black and white photo of Harry and Meghan posing with their son, Archie. "Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie."

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.