Royal Experts Claim Queen Elizabeth Was 'Angry' About the Naming of One of Her Grandchildren

Though the birth of a royal baby is usually a buoyant occasion, Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly quite upset after the arrival of one of her grandchildren.

In a new biography titled Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story by royal author Robert Hardman, a royal aide claims that the late queen was “as angry as I’d ever seen her” following the birth of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s daughter, Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex bestowed Queen Elizabeth’s childhood nickname upon their little girl, and they publicly stated the monarch approved the decision. Over two years later, reports (again) are surfacing to suggest otherwise.

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After Lilibet was born in June 2021, a source from within the palace told the BBC that the queen was “never asked” for permission to pass down her childhood moniker. Jonny Dymond, a royal correspondent for the network, tweeted, “Palace source tells BBC that the Queen was not asked by Meghan and Harry over the use of her childhood nickname; reports suggested Harry had sought permission from Queen to call newborn ‘Lilibet’; but Palace source says the Queen was ‘never asked.'”

The claims directly contradicted information from the Sussex camp. After the BBC claims arose, a source close to the couple told Page Six, “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 honor. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name.”

Another source gave a less enthusiastic account to the outlet, opining, “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 public dispute in information turned so contentious that Meghan and Harry’s lawyers were instructed to take legal action against BBC for what they insisted was a false report.

In their birth announcement for their second child, the Sussexes revealed the inspiration behind their baby princess’ name. “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.”

When a child is named after a relative, it’s usually a touching honor for the family member in question. However, given the royal family’s extraordinarily unique (and at many times lukewarm) dynamic, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that the late queen was potentially angry about her name being passed onto one of her grandkids. And not just any one of them, but one of Meghan and Harry’s children, post-estrangement.

Even so, the push to paint the Sussexes as the villains in this situation is a very strange one. First of all, no one has ownership of a name, not even the Queen of England. Secondly, Meghan and Harry named Lilibet after her grandmothers to honor their legacies and perhaps work toward repairing their estranged relationship — not as a slight in the ongoing family feud, as many are pushing the world to believe. Would Meghan and Harry name their daughter “Lilibet” solely out of spite to piss off the royal family? We seriously doubt it.

Before you go, check out every nickname the royal family has for one another.

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