The California hospital where Meghan Markle gave birth to a baby girl called Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor on Friday is a large not-for-profit foundation set up in 1888 by a group of 50 women that oversees 2,400 births a year.
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is proud of its all-female founders, a heritage that is likely to strike a chord with the Duchess of Sussex due to her interest in female empowerment.
Located in downtown Santa Barbara, it is one of the closest hospitals to their £11million mansion in nearby Montecito, which is roughly ten minutes away by car.
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is proud of its all-female founders, a heritage that is likely to strike a chord with the Duchess of Sussex due to her interest in female empowerment
The Cottage Hospital oversees sees 20,000 annual admissions and is run by parent company Cottage Health.
It consists of a 519-bed acute care teaching hospital and trauma center, the largest of its kind between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
According to Cottage Health’s website, it opened on December 8, 1891, when Santa Barbara’s population was less than 5,000.
The wider group now includes branches in Goleta and Santa Ynez and a rehabilitation centre, provides a comprehensive range of services.
They have been ranked among the most efficiently managed in California, according to Cottage Health’s website.
The Santa Barbara hospital has a staff of around 600 medics and has been undergoing a $700million rebuilding plan to make it earthquake proof,
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s baby girl was born on Friday, June 4 at 11:40am. She was born weighing 7lb 11oz, and is said to be settling in at home.
She is sister to two-year-old Archie and is the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild – the first of the monarch and Philip’s great-grandchildren to be born since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh in April.
With the Sussexes living in California, it is not known when or if Lilibet will meet the monarch and the other royals.
However, the duke and duchess may have given their daughter her names in an effort to build bridges with the Royal Family after the couple made a series of bombshell allegations against the Firm.
Located in downtown Santa Barbara, it is one of the closest hospitals to the couple’s (pictured with Archie) £11million mansion in nearby Montecito, which is roughly ten minutes away by car
In a message of thanks from Meghan and Harry on their Archewell website, the duke and duchess said: ‘On June 4, 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.’
A statement from their press secretary said: ‘It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world.
‘Lili was born on Friday, June 4 at 11.40am in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California.
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She weighed 7lbs 11oz. Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home.
‘Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.
‘This is the second child for the couple, who also have a two-year-old son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
‘The Duke and Duchess thank you for your warm wishes and prayers as they enjoy this special time as a family.’
This is the second child for the couple (who are pictured on an official visit to Sydney in 2018)
