Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s claim that Queen Elizabeth II gave her blessing to their daughter named Lilibet — the late queen’s pet name based on her mispronunciation of the word “Elizabeth” in her childhood — has so enraged the queen that one source described her as “furious.” As I’ve Seen It Before” as a result.
The revelation came in a new book, Charles III: New King, New Court. The story from the inside Written by respected royal writer Robert Hardman, it sheds new light on the bizarre row that arose after the Queen’s team denied she had given her approval for the name to the BBC, but Harry and Meghan’s team insisted it had.
As The Daily Beast revealed at the time, the tabloids were threatened with legal action by Harry and Meghan if they repeated the BBC’s claims, but the threat was never acted upon.
The affectionate nickname “Lilibet” was used by the late queen’s parents, King George VI and the Queen Mother, and by a handful of others, including her sister, Princess Margaret, and her husband, Prince Philip.
As soon as Harry and Meghan announced the name, gossip began emanating from the palace, which the Queen dismissed.
However, things took a surreal turn after the Palace was briefed that her permission had not been sought from the Queen, and the Sussexes’ spokesman responded: “The Duke spoke to his family ahead of the announcement – in fact his grandmother was the first family member invited. During that conversation, he shared their hope “In naming their daughter Lilibet in her honor. If she had not been supportive, they would not have used the name.”
the daily Mail, which is serializing excerpts from the new book, posted a preview of Monday’s excerpt on Sunday evening.
the mail “One source privately mentioned that Elizabeth II was ‘as angry as I’ve ever seen her before’ in 2021 after the Sussexes announced they had given them her blessing to name their baby daughter ‘Lilibet,’ after the Queen,” says Hardman. Childhood nickname.
“Once again, this was as much a case of “Memories May Vary” – the late Queen’s reaction to the interview with Oprah Winfrey – as it was about Her Majesty.“
— Robert Hardman
The couple then issued warnings of legal action against anyone who dares to suggest otherwise, as the BBC did. However, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex tried to woo the palace to support their version of events, they were rebuffed.
“Once again, it was a matter of ‘Memories May Vary’ – the late Queen’s reaction to her interview with Oprah Winfrey – for Her Majesty. Those loud threats of legal action duly evaporated, and the defamation proceedings against the BBC never materialised.” never.
Hardman points out that Harry mysteriously “deleted” the entire incident from his diary, additional.
The Daily Beast has contacted Harry and Meghan’s office for comment.