When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter Lilibet was born in June last year, her name raised some eyebrows, with claims circulating that the pair did not even ask the Queen permission to use her childhood nickname.
Lilibet is a pet name close to the Queen’s heart, with her family knowing only her father and husband, Prince Philip, called her that. So, royal commentators were incredulous last year when it was revealed Harry and Meghan had used that name for their own daughter without bothering to let the Queen know.
Harry and Meghan suspected of giving Queen the impression they would name daughter ‘Elizabeth’
Now, socialite Nicky Haslam, who is good friends with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Michael of Kent, claimed on a recent episode of The Third Act podcast that the Queen was under the impression Harry and Meghan were going to name their daughter Elizabeth rather than Lilibet. He said she was surprised when the name was revealed, though it’s unclear if she was angry about it or not.
During the podcast, he revealed, “I heard he [Harry] rang her and said: ‘We want to call our daughter after you, Granny.’ She said: ‘How charming of you, thank you,’ thinking that it would be Elizabeth. So they got the permission, but they didn’t say the name.”
Socialite Nicky Haslam asked why they didn’t name daughter Doria
He raised questions as to why they didn’t name their daughter after Meghan’s mother Doria, especially considering her middle name is Diana, after Harry’s mother.
He said, “Why on earth didn’t they call that baby Doria? It’s the prettiest name ever.”
Royal commentator for the BBC, Jonny Dymond, revealed last year that Harry and Meghan never asked the Queen permission to use her name, according to a source within the palace.
Spokesman for Harry and Meghan claimed the Queen was supportive of the name
A spokesman for the couple shot back at the claims, saying in a statement: “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.”
Of course, if Nicky Haslam is correct, then the Duke and Duchess of Sussex used a manipulation tactic by claiming they told the Queen they would use her name, but leading her to believe they would name their daughter Elizabeth.
The reveal comes amid shocking reports that Buckingham Palace has chosen not to release conclusions about the investigation into whether or not Meghan bullied members of her staff after her marriage to Prince Harry.
It certainly wouldn’t be surprising that they were manipulative in being vague about the specific name.
That’s their modus operandi.