Rebel Wilson gives baby born by surrogate the middle name Elizabeth 'after the late Queen'
Congratulations are in order for Rebel Wilson, who has become a mother for the first time.
The Australian actor revealed on Tuesday that she gave her newborn daughter, Royce, two middle names, one which is Elizabeth “after the late Queen”, who passed away in September.
“I wanted an original name starting with the letter R and so eventually landed on that one,” she told People. “Lillian and Elizabeth are both family names carried by women in my family who I admire. Elizabeth, which is also my middle name, after the late Queen.”
Wilson, 42, first announced that she had welcomed a baby girl via surrogate on Instagram on Monday.
The actor posted a picture of her newborn daughter, Royce, to the social media platform, lying on a fluffy blanket wearing a pink baby grow and unicorn socks.
“Beyond proud to announce the birth of my first child, Royce Lillian, born this past week via surrogate,” she captioned the adorable image. “I can’t even describe the love I have for her, she’s a beautiful miracle!”
The Australian actor thanked her “gorgeous surrogate” and shared her excitement at joining the “Mum Club”, adding that she was “proud” to become a mother for the first time.
“I am forever grateful to everyone who has been involved, (you know who you are),” she continued, “this has been years in the making…but particularly wanted to thank my gorgeous surrogate who carried her and birthed her with such grace and care.
“Thank you for helping me start my own family, it’s an amazing gift. The BEST gift!!
“I am ready to give little Roycie all the love imaginable. I am learning quickly…much respect to all the Mums out there! Proud to be in your club.”
Read more: Surrogate comes out of retirement at 48 to carry a baby for same sex couple
Wilson first revealed her intention to become a mother and potentially going down the surrogate pregnancy route in 2019, when she told the Kyle & Jackie O Show she had gone through the process of freezing her eggs.
Wilson later shared that her weight loss journey in 2020 was driven by her hopes of becoming a mum in the future.
Wilson, who has polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which can affect fertility, was given some frank advice from her doctor in 2019.
"He looked me up and down and said, ‘You'd do much better if you were healthier',” she told PEOPLE.
Read more: What is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)? Symptoms, causes and treatments
After being “taken aback” by his words at first, she began to take it seriously, not to lose weight, but to be the healthiest version of herself.
"I was carrying around a lot of excess weight," she said. "It's almost like I didn't think of my own needs. I thought of a future child's needs that really inspired me to get healthier."
This spurred on her self-proclaimed “Year of Health” in 2020, which included dealing with emotional issues that were linked to her eating habits too.
"I would love to have a family," she also told the magazine earlier this year. "I'm just going for it by myself at the moment because of the biological clock.
Read more: Rebel Wilson's real reason for weight loss: 'I thought of a future child's needs'
Read more: Rebel Wilson reveals relationship with woman: 'I found my Disney Princess'
"If I meet the right person, great, and then they can fit in with whatever happens. It's great that the technology exists. You have so many options with surrogacy and sperm donors."
"I only started thinking of fertility when I was 39 so you feel quite late but then there are women in their mid-40s who've been successful."
Wilson revealed her current relationship with her “Disney princess” Ramona Agruma in June this year, but shot down rumours of an engagement over the weekend.
It looks as though the surrogate process would have begun before the couple met, so it remains to be seen what role Agruma might play in raising Wilson’s daughter, but whichever shape their family unit takes, it seems as though Wilson is relishing the early newborn days and taking each step as it comes.
Watch: Rebel Wilson shoots down engagement rumours
