Lilibet: Buckingham Palace and Prince Harry at odds over whether Queen Elizabeth was consulted

Palace aide disputes claim couple sought permission to give baby the queen’s nickname

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 10, 2018 file photo Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry stand on a balcony to watch a flypast of Royal Air Force aircraft pass over Buckingham Palace in London. The second baby for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is officially here: Meghan gave birth to a healthy girl on Friday, June 4, 2021. A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan said the couple welcomed their child Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. Their daughter weighed in at 7 lbs, 11 oz. Her first name, Lilibet, is a nod to Her Majesty The Queen's nickname. Her middle name is in honor of her grandmother and Harry's mother. The baby is the eighth in line to the British throne.   (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

Buckingham Palace and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear to be at odds over whether the queen was consulted over the use of the name Lilibet. AP

Brodie Owen
Jun 09, 2021
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A Buckingham Palace aide is disputing a claim that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sought permission from Queen Elizabeth to name their baby daughter after her.

Harry and Meghan named the baby Lilibet, the queen's nickname since childhood.

Several UK media outlets reported that the duke had spoken to the queen before the baby’s birth to inform her of the name.

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An undated handout picture released by Kensington Palace on April 14, 2021 shows Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh with their great grandchildren. Pictured (L-R) are Britain's Prince George of Cambridge, Britain's Prince Louis of Cambridge being held by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Savannah Phillips (standing at rear), Britain's Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Isla Phillips holding Lena Tindall, and Mia Tindall. (Photo by THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE / KENSINGTON PALACE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / KENSINGTON PALACE / DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - NO COMMERCIAL USE - RESTRICTED TO SUBSCRIPTION USE - STRICTLY NO SALES - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NOT FOR USE AFTER DECEMBER 31, 2021. /
What's in a name? Lilibet Diana is not the first royal baby to be named after Queen Elizabeth II

But a palace source told the BBC that the queen was "never asked" about its use.

In a counter-claim, a source close to Harry said "the duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement – in fact his grandmother was the first family member he called".

"During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name."

The couple announced at the weekend that Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born at a hospital in Santa Barbara in California on Friday morning.

A spokesman for the couple said she was named after the queen and Princess Diana.

Lili, the couple’s second child after Archie, was born only a few months after the royal family was plunged into its biggest crisis in decades after Harry and Meghan’s Oprah Winfrey interview.

The couple accused an unnamed member of the royal family of racism, while Meghan revealed that she had contemplated suicide while living in the UK.

Harry also said that his father Prince Charles had stopped taking his phone calls.

However, the duke said he still had a "really good" relationship with the queen and they spoke regularly in video calls.

After Lili’s birth, Buckingham Palace said the queen and other senior royals were "delighted with the news".

Lili is the queen’s 11th great-grandchild and the first born outside the UK.

She is eighth in line to the British throne, pushing Prince Andrew down to ninth place.

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