Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say Queen Elizabeth knew they were going to name their daughter after her despite conflicting reports. As Mamas Uncut previously reported, Harry and Meghan named their newborn daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
Lilibet is the deep personal nickname the royal family calls the Queen. The nickname was given to her by her late father, King George VI, but it was her late husband, Prince Philip, who kept the nickname alive.
RELATED: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Parents of 2! Her Name Honors Both the Queen and Princess Diana
King George began calling his daughter Lilibet because as a toddler, the Queen had trouble pronouncing Elizabeth. And the nickname eventually stuck. She even used her nickname to sign the personal final letter she wrote for Philip prior to his burial.
Following her June 4 birth, Harry and Meghan revealed that they plan on calling Lilibet “Lili” for short, which is also an ode to Meghan’s mother, Doria, who called Meghan “flower” growing up. As Harry and Meghan revealed in her birth announcement, “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet.”
But Did the Queen Know Prince Harry and Meghan Were Naming Their Daughter After Her?
Now, Harry and Meghan are defending the name they choose for their daughter after a Palace source claimed they Prince Harry never asked for permission to use Lilibet.
According to a BBC report, “the Queen was not asked by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex about naming their daughter Lilibet.” However, a spokesperson for Meghan and Harry says that’s absolutely false.
As the spokesperson for the newly-minted parents of two said, “the monarch was the first family member the duke had called.”
“The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement – in fact his grandmother was the first family member he called,” the spokesperson revealed. “During that conversation, he shared their hopes of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honor. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name.”
Lili is the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild. “Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the birth of Lilibet Diana,” the Queen’s official Instagram page wrote upon news of the birth. “The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted with the news.”
In fact, thanks to FaceTime, Lilibet has already met her namesake! And further reports suggest that Lilibet and Archie will also become a princess and a prince with their grandfather, Prince Charles, assuming the throne.
According to current guidelines, as reported by People, great-grandchildren of the monarch are not princes or princesses, with the exception of the eldest son of Prince Charles. This explains why Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis were all born with titles.
However, because Charles will be crowned king in the coming years, the title of prince and princess are automatically bestowed upon the children of the son of the king. This means Archie and Lili will soon be Prince Archie and Princess Lili.
However, Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, told People that despite their right to the titles, will Harry and Meghan “want that?” Or would “they prefer what Prince Edward and Sophie have, and not have their children as Their Royal Highnesses with a view to them leading relatively normal lives,” Little questioned.
Considering their decision to distance themselves from the harsh glow of the spotlight that comes from being members of the royal family, that question is valid. What do you think Harry and Meghan will do?