Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Reportedly Make Legal Threat After Palace Sources Claim They Named Daughter Lilibet Without Her Majesty's Permission
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have addressed claims that they named their newborn daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor without asking for Queen Elizabeth II's permission to use her childhood nickname.
"The Duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement, in fact his grandmother was the first family member he called," their spokesperson reportedly told The Telegraph. "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."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's lawyers apparently fired off a legal threat after the alleged false claims were published by BBC — the lawyers advised the British newspaper to not repeat the allegation that Harry and Meghan announced their child's name without the Queen's blessing, calling the report “false and defamatory.”
The rare legal warning came after BBC reported that the 36-year-old and former actress “did not consult the queen about using her childhood nickname Lilibet for their baby… a Buckingham Palace source says she was never asked about it."
In addition, The Times reported that the Queen was merely "informed" about the couple's choice of name rather than asked if they could use the moniker, which she is only referred to by her close family, friends and late husband, Prince Philip.
Apart from Harry and Meghan's spokesperson, Omid Scobie — the author of the unauthorized biography Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family — disputed the BBC's claims, insisting they would never have named their daughter Lilibet had Her Majesty not been on board.
- Did Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Make Tone Deaf Mistake By Naming Daughter Lilibet? Why The Public Is Divided On Their Controversial Choice
- Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Naming Daughter Lilibet Is 'Quite Demeaning' Towards Queen Elizabeth II, Says Expert
- Meghan Markle 'Copyrighted' Princess Lilibet's Moniker Before She Gave Birth, Claims Expert
“A Sussex source says that the Queen was the first family Harry called after Lilibet’s birth and during that conversation, he shared the couple’s hope of naming their daughter in her honor. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name," the journalist and writer stated.
Scobie added that the alleged false information from the royal aide highlights the vast separation between The Firm and former royal working members.
“Those close to Prince Harry confirm that he spoke to close family before the announcement so perhaps this report highlights just how far removed aides within the institution (who learned of the baby news alongside the rest of the world) now are from the Sussexes’ private matters,” Scobie said.
Rumors about the 95-year-old's unhappiness with her great-grandchild's name have been circulating since Harry and Meghan announced their daughter's arrival on Sunday, June 6. Two days after Meghan gave birth to Lilibet, the couple shared that they chose to honor both Harry's late mom, Princess Diana, and the Queen by naming their daughter after both of them.
The couple's decision to use the Queen's nickname caused quite the stir. Although the name was intended to pay tribute to the Queen, many critics deemed the choice of name to be "quite demeaning" to Harry's grandmother, said a source, as it was an intimate nickname between her and Philip.
Daily Beast reported that the couple's lawyers sent out a legal threat to BBC.
