Duchess of Cambridge: I can't wait to meet Lilibet Diana

11 June 2021

G7 summits

The Duchess of Cambridge smiling with the US First Lady Jill Biden — Image caption,
The duchess and the US first lady were meeting for the first time at a school in Cornwall

The Duchess of Cambridge has said she "can't wait" to meet her new niece, Lilibet Diana.

Catherine said she wished the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's newborn daughter "all the very best", at a G7 summit of world leaders in Cornwall.

"We haven't met her yet," she told reporters. "I hope that will be soon."

The duchess was quizzed about her new niece after meeting US First Lady Jill Biden for the first time on a joint visit to a Cornish school.

Prince Harry and Meghan announced the birth of Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor on Sunday.

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A school in Hayle, west Cornwall, hosts the Duchess of Cambridge and US First Lady Jill Biden

She was born in a Californian hospital on 4 June, and named in honour of Prince Harry's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, and grandmother, the Queen.

Catherine's daughter Charlotte is also named after the Queen and Princess Diana, having the middle names Elizabeth and Diana.

Asked by a journalist whether she had any wishes for Lilibet, Catherine said: "I wish her all the very best. I can't wait to meet her."

The duchess was also asked whether she had spoken with Meghan via video-calling app FaceTime. "No I haven't," she replied.

The questions came at the end of Catherine and Dr Biden's visit to a primary school, where they had been discussing children's early years development.

The duchess and First Lady wear masks as they sit round a table with children

Reuters

The Duchess and First Lady are given flowers by the children at the school

Reuters

The pair were given posies of goldrenrod, calendula and stock by the pupils at the school

The duchess and first lady toured a classroom meeting some younger children at Connor Downs Academy in Hayle, which teaches four to 11-year-olds.

Mrs Biden, 70, has spent decades working as a teacher, and has a doctorate of education from the University of Delaware.

She was a professor of English while her husband served as vice-president, and has previously said: "Teaching is not what I do. It's who I am."

She and the duchess also brought carrots which were fed by pupils to the school's pet rabbits.

Catherine and Dr Biden walking along talking while the First Lady holds a bowl of carrots

Reuters

The two women took carrots for the children to feed to the academy's rabbits

Catherine and her husband, Prince William, are taking part in their first G7 event, a sign of their progression as senior royals.

On Friday evening, Prince William and Catherine joined the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the summit's leaders' reception at the Eden project.

Prince Charles and Prince William are hosting a reception for leaders and chief executives of some of the world's biggest companies, where they will discuss how the private sector can work with governments to tackle climate change.