Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Change Their Kids’ Last Name & This Could Mean Even More Controversy for Princess Lilibet
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Princess Lilibet Diana’s name has come under a lot of scrutiny recently, because of course the public has Big Feelings about a child’s name *eye roll*. It’s been basically the royal version of all the baby name drama we see on Reddit regularly.
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And so we’re waiting with bated breath to see the potential fallout of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest decision when it comes to daughter Lilibet and son Archie’s family name. It’s been reported that the duke and duchess have used the surname “Sussex” — instead of the traditional Mountbatten-Windsor — for their kids since the coronation of King Charles III. It’s the same title Harry and Meghan use, and using it as a last name is similar to the way Harry was referred to as “Captain Wales” during his time in the army.
“That’s a big deal for any family,” an insider said. “It represents their unification and it’s a proud moment.”
What Now?
This potentially controversial revelation (the world seems to have a fit any time the Sussexes break from tradition!) could mean even more attention on their 2-year-old daughter. Last month, Robert Hardman alleged in his book The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy that the late Queen Elizabeth II was enraged over her grandson’s decision to name his daughter Lilibet — a nickname that was often used for the monarch.
“One privately recalled that Elizabeth II had been ‘as angry as I’d ever seen her’ in 2021 after the Sussexes announced that she had given them her blessing,” he claimed, referencing the fact that the monarch gets the final say in all royal babies’ names.
Thus began a he said, she said. An insider told US Weekly that Prince Harry and Meghan “100% got permission” from the queen and that the report is “not true.”
“They don’t know where this is coming from,” the source said. “… It seems out of nowhere and out of left field. They just feel like it’s more of the same smear campaign that continues against them.”
“They feel it’s convenient [that] this is surfacing now when the queen is not here to defend herself and can’t say what is true or false.”
On It Goes
Princess Lilibet Diana Sussex also made headlines when a royal commentator claimed that Meghan “copyrighted” her daughter’s name to protect her or potentially profit off the name. “It was discovered that Meghan, even before Lilibet was born, had taken out the names officially so that she could use them to buy things and to identify them,” Angela Levin speculated, leaving out some critical context.
“Copyright” sounds extreme, but it’s probably not far off base.
A spokesperson for the couple told People in 2021 that Harry and Meghan had registered multiple domains for Lilibet’s name. Just as they had with Archie. “As is often customary with public figures, a significant number of domains of any potential names that were considered were purchased by their team to protect against the exploitation of the name once it was later chosen and publicly shared,” they said. The parents reportedly bought domains for sites like LilibetDiana.com and LiliDiana.com. Maybe LilibetDianaSussex.com is up next.
So what will this latest name news bring? It’s hard to say. It could be seen as yet another snub from the couple that famously stepped down as senior members of the royal family. Or, the divergence from Mountbatten-Windsor could be taken as a more appropriate name for that same reason. Only time will tell — we just hope little Lili doesn’t get caught in the crosshairs once again.
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