Here's Why The Queen's Statement About Lilibet Diana Is Raising Eyebrows
Queen Elizabeth's statement about her newest great-grandchild is raising eyebrows. The public announcement of Lilibet Diana's birth was made June 6, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter was born on June 4.
According to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's official statement on the Archewell website, they named their daughter Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. Per the Archewell statement, "Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales."
The name "Lilibet" is also a nod to Prince Harry's grandfather Prince Philip. According to Hello, Prince Philip was the last royal to call Queen Elizabeth II by her childhood name as a personal term of endearment. By naming their daughter Lilibet, rather than Elizabeth, Meghan and Harry are ensuring the nickname will live on. Keep reading to find out why Queen Elizabeth's statement about her great-granddaughter's birth is creating a buzz on social media.
Queen Elizabeth's statement about Lilibet Diana's birth was later than expected
Queen Elizabeth's statement about Lilibet Diana's birth raised eyebrows because it happened several hours after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared the news. The official response from Queen Elizabeth II lagged a bit, but the woman is 95; let's be gentle. Harper's Bazaar Royal Editor Omid Scobie tweeted Buckingham Palace's official statement: "The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex."
Before the Buckingham Palace statement was released, Twitter reacted to the lack of the official royal family statement. One person tweeted, "the prime minister of the UK congratulated Harry and Meghan and not even the Royal Family account, that's embarrassing @RoyalFamily." (The Royal Family account's tweet about Lilibet came an hour and a half after that user's post.) Almost four hours after Harry and Meghan's announcement, the official royal family account tweeted, "Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the birth of Lilibet Diana! The Queen, The Prince of Wales, and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted with the news. Lilibet is Her Majesty's 11th great-grandchild."
Queen Elizabeth II is known for doting on Prince Harry; the delay likely isn't personal. Prince William and Kate Middleton also shared a sweet message of congratulations for the family.
Prince Harry's relationship with the queen was reportedly a little frosty before Lilibeth's birth
While the birth of Lilibet is no doubt great news for all the royal family, things weren't reported to be great between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Queen Elizabeth II in the run-up to her birth. The months before Lilibet came into the world saw Harry and Meghan not exactly saying the nicest things about the former's family in various interviews, including their now infamous tell-all with Oprah Winfrey.
The queen appeared to downplay reports of a rift in her family when responding to the claims though, saying in a statement (via USA Today) that she was "saddened" to hear the allegations. "While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members," the statement concluded.
Harry then went on to seemingly call out the queen while speaking to Dax Shepherd on his "Armchair Expert" podcast in May. He appeared to insinuate he "experienced some form of pain or suffering" from his father, Prince Charles, because of the way the queen and the late Prince Philip parented him. The queen was reported to have taken Harry's remarks "very personally," according to a Daily Mail source.
Why the queen is unlikely to ever cut off Prince Harry despite reported tension
Despite the apparent rift between Prince Harry and his family though, it's thought the queen is reluctant to turn her back on her grandson. Shortly before the announcement of Lilibet's birth, it was reported that the queen would continue to ensure Harry and Meghan Markle remained members of the family because the queen is aware of Harry's experiences with his mental health.
Royal expert Angela Levin shared her thoughts on why the queen is still standing by Harry despite his remarks. "My view is that Harry's family in London are very worried about his mental health and think slamming the royal door in his face could have devastating consequences," she tweeted. Notably, some royal watchers have questioned why the couple are still able to use their titles, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, despite them stepping back as senior royals in January 2020.
Notably, despite a few perhaps not so nice remarks, Harry and Meghan have almost always spoke highly of Queen Elizabeth. "The queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me," Meghan told Oprah Winfrey during the couple's May interview (per Elle). "We had one of our first joint engagements together. She asked me to join her, and I went on the train. And we had breakfast together that morning and she gave me a beautiful gift and I just really loved being in her company."