It was once said that Queen Elizabeth II never gave her blessing to the name of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s daughter Lilibet. A new biography of King Charles III. now takes up the topic again.
“Daily Mail” author Robert Hardman has written the biography “Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story,” which will be published on January 18th. It caused a stir even before it was published; the British newspaper is currently printing excerpts from the book in advance. It quotes a royal aide claiming that in the summer of 2021, Elizabeth II was “the angrier I had ever seen her.” The reason was the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s statement that they had received permission from the Queen to use her nickname for their second child. The Queen was called Lilibet by her late husband, Prince Philip.
The new revelation comes more than two years after the BBC reported something similar. A palace source said the queen was “never asked” whether she agreed to the use of her nickname. The royal correspondent Jonny Dymond tweeted this at the time, after which Harry and Meghan are said to have even called in their lawyers. The prince released a statement denying the allegations. He did talk to his grandmother about his daughter’s name before she was born.
The Sussexes announced their baby girl’s arrival in a statement in June 2021: “She is more than we could have ever imagined and we continue to be grateful for the love and prayers we have received from around the world.” They added: “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen in honor of her beloved late grandmother, the Princess of Wales.”
If the Queen was really angry, at least – as usual – she didn’t show anything publicly. Buckingham Palace said following the birth of their great-granddaughter: “The Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are pleased with the news of the birth of a daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.” Uncle and aunt, Prince William and Kate, also publicly congratulated: “We are all happy about the good news of the arrival of baby Lili. Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie.”
