Royal Expert Reveals Why Meghan And Harry's Choice For A Baby Name Is Rude Toward The Queen
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced the birth of their daughter in a statement on the Archewell website on June 6. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed that they named their daughter Lilibet "Lili" Diana, after Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. Before Lili was born, oddsmakers had revealed the top choices for the new Sussex baby, according to People magazine. The top choices were all family names, and nods to important people in Harry's life. The top choice was Phillipa, in honor of Harry's grandfather, Prince Philip, who died on April 9. "The support for baby Philippa is showing no signs of slowing down, and we've been forced to trim the odds again that it's the name for Harry and Meghan's daughter," Jessica O'Reilly of U.K. gambling site Ladbrokes told People in mid-May. Interestingly, other top picks included Elizabeth and Diana.
In their announcement, Harry and Meghan revealed the reason they chose the name Lilibet for their daughter. They shared that the queen's "family nickname" is Lilibet, and many people thought it was super sweet to honor the queen in such a personal way. However, there seems to be some concern that the honor won't be well-received by the queen. Keep reading to find out why.
Is the name Lilibet just too personal?
While many would think that Queen Elizabeth would be nothing short of honored that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose to name their daughter Lilibet, a royal expert has spoken out about why the name is actually "rude." During an appearance on "Good Morning Britain," Angela Levin said, "I don't think it's a good idea – I think it's quite rude to Her Majesty Her Queen. It was a very private nickname from her husband who hasn't been dead for very long. Prince Charles would never dream of calling his mother Lilibet," according to Page Six.
According to The Guardian, the nickname first came to be when the queen was very young. She pronounced her own name Lilibet, unable to say Elizabeth, and it just kind of stuck. Soon after, her family took to calling her Lilibet, too. Even as an adult, those closest to her called her Lilibet, including Prince Philip. The queen has not spoken out about the baby's name directly, and it is unclear how she feels about it. After Lili was born, the palace released an official statement and nothing more. "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," the statement from the queen read, according to BBC News.
Prince Harry may have asked his grandmother's permission before naming his daughter Lilibet
Despite royal expert Angela Levin feeling as though the name Lilibet may be "rude" toward the queen, Page Six reports that Prince Harry actually spoke to his grandmother about the name that he and Meghan Markle chose for their daughter. While the report indicates that Harry called Queen Elizabeth and "sought permission" to use the name, another source had a different take. "It will have likely been a call saying that she's arrived and we'd plan to name her after you — it's not really something one can say no to. I doubt they asked — more likely informed," the source told the outlet.
Harry has always admired his grandmother and has spoken highly of her. Both Harry and Meghan expressed having a good relationship with the queen during their interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired back on March 7, according to Observer. Moreover, royal biographer Andrew Morton previously told Vanity Fair that he thinks that the queen has a sort of soft spot for Harry. "I think the Queen knows that being the spare is hard and a part of her recognizes that Harry was a sometimes a bit of a lost soul just like her sister. She has always wanted to protect Harry and I think in part that's because she watched Margaret fall victim to the system. Shutting out Margaret didn't help and the Queen has learned from that. She didn't want history to repeat itself with Harry," he said.
Lilibet is also a nod to Meghan Markle's mother, Doria
Other experts have looked at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's baby name choice as an "olive branch" of sorts, according to Page Six. Journalist Afua Adom completely disagrees with Angela Levin's take and has expressed such on the June 7 edition of "Good Morning Britain." "To say the Queen would be unhappy is frankly ridiculous. It's a bit of a nod to Meghan's mother, Doria, as well. Her nickname for Meghan is flower," Adom pointed out, according to Page Six. "It's also a bit of a stretch to say that the Queen is fuming that her great-grandchild is named after her. I think it's a nod of affection," she added.
It's no secret that there has been increased tension between Harry and the royal family over the past few months. However, his decision to honor his grandmother in such a way does seem very special. Still no word on whether Harry's family have any plans to meet the new baby anytime soon, however. The fact that Harry and Meghan no longer live in the UK will make that a bit challenging, though there is always FaceTime; According to Harper's Bazaar, the queen familiarized herself with FaceTime and Skype as a way to keep in touch with family members and friends during the coronavirus pandemic.