Queen Elizabeth II’s reaction to learning that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had named their daughter after her has been revealed in a new book.
Harry and Meghan’s daughter was born on 4 June 2021.
They announced that she had been christened Lilibet “Lili” Diana in honour of the Queen and Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
After Lilibet’s birth, some reports suggested that the Queen – whose reign as monarch ended came to an end with her death on 8 September this year – had not been consulted about using the name in advance.
At the time, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan denied these reports in a statement to The Independent, stating that the couple would not have used the name “had [Her Majesty] not been supportive”.
Now, an excerpt from a forthcoming book about the royal family reveals the Queen accepted Harry and Meghan’s tribute with “good grace”, the Daily Mail reported.
The author of Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait Gyles Brandreth wrote that while some members of the family found the Duke and Duchess’s decision “bewildering,” Elizabeth saw it as the “compliment it was intended to be”.
Elizabeth II’s father King George V gave her the nickname Lilibet, which was only used by the Queen’s close family – in particular by her late husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Brandreth is both a friend and biographer of the royal family.
On hearing the news, the Queen is reported to have said: “I hear they’re calling her ‘Lili’, which is very pretty and seems just right.”
Harry and Meghan relocated to the US in 2020, after announcing they would be stepping down from their royal duties.
Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait will be released on 8 December, and is currently available for pre-order.
