UK Royals Add Lilibet to Line of Succession; Netizens Hail and Flay the 'Late' Decision

The British Royal family has finally added Lilibet to the official line of succession. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor has officially been added to the royal line of succession more than seven weeks after her birth.

Official Royal Website Was Updated on Monday

The official royal website was updated on Monday, after the family suffered backlash over the weekend once people noticed that Lilibet had not been added to the succession line in a timely manner, following her birth in June 2021.

Lilibet has been named after Queen Elizabeth II and Harry's late mother, Princess Diana. She now sits at her rightful place as eighth in line to the throne, according to the official succession list on the Royal Family's website.

Was the Buckingham Palace 'making a point' by Leaving Lilibet off the List?

In late July, Cosmopolitan reported that the youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remained off the line of succession on the royal family's website. Considering Lilibet Diana was born well over a month before, on June 4, this struck many royal followers as very odd, if not downright disrespectful.

At the time, ITV's Chris Ship said Buckingham Palace could be "making a point" by leaving Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter off the list. But per Cosmo, a royal representative said that the site is simply "updated periodically."

"You have got to ask what has taken them so long. All they have got to do is hit the paragraph button and put in a different number," Ship said, according to The Mirror.

The Daily Mail also marked this delay and trigger the conversation among netizens. The newspaper also reported for comparison that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first child Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was added to the list two weeks after his birth. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second child Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was added to the list seven weeks after her birth.

When Prince William and Kate Middleton's third child, Louis, was born, his name was added to the list after 12 days. When royals Zara and Mike Tindall's son Lucas was born in March of this year, the baby's name was also added right away.

The Interview Effect

The Harry and Meghan bombshell interview in March revealed the dark side of British royalty. It is being predicted that the delay comes after the couple's interview with Oprah Winfrey that triggered #AbolishTheMonarchy trend. Meghan Markle revealed that she was bullied and there was a 'discussion' about her son's skin. Markel said that she even struggled with suicidal thoughts.

Mixed Reactions on Twitter

People on Twitter have expressed mixed reactions. Some say that the delay reveals the horrendous treatment and lack of support for the Sussexes while others think that it's not a big deal as it is just a web page and there is no need to get over excite. Netizens are questioning the Royal Family for this delay and expressing their concerns for Lilibet. On Twitter user wrote, "It's a shame it took the media to highlight the succession list was outdated. I wonder how the investigation into institutional racism is going within the Royal Family."

Some social media users described the whole scenario as a hype and said that the Royal Family is being criticized unnecessarily. "They are always slow in updating the website", one user wrote. Another said, "For someone who has denounced the royal family, why does Meghan and Harry care if their daughter is listed in the royal lineup."