Harry and Meghan shocked fans when they quit royal life in January 2020 – but it was another Sussex announcement that is said to have made the late Queen especially angry
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made the late Queen as “angry as I’d seen her” over one of their major announcements, according to a palace staffer. The Sussexes quit royal life in January 2020, less than two years after their wedding. The following June they welcomed their second child, a daughter they chose to name Lilibet Diana. The moniker certainly raised eyebrows amongst royal fans. Lilibet was the Queen’s affectionate nickname stemming back to when she was a young girl. It’s thought it came about because the young Princess Elizabeth was unable to pronounce her own name properly.
‘Lilibet’ was only used by a handful of people closest to the Queen; her parents King George VI and the Queen Mother, her late sister Princess Margaret, her husband Prince Philip, and a few close friends. As such, there was speculation at the time about whether Harry and Meghan had sought prior permission from Her Majesty. The BBC said it had been told by a source at the palace that the Queen had not been asked, while other publications stated that when she was called by the couple, she did not feel in a position to say ‘no’.
However, a spokesperson for the Sussexes insisted that the couple would not have used the name had the Queen not been ‘supportive’. A statement said, “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 honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name.”
But, according to author Robert Hardman in his book Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story, one member of staff “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 to call their baby daughter ‘Lilibet’, the Queen’s childhood nickname”.
“The couple subsequently fired off warnings of legal action against anyone who dared to suggest otherwise, as the BBC had done. However, when the Sussexes tried to co-opt the Palace into propping up their version of events, they were rebuffed. Once again, it was a case of ‘recollections may vary’ – the late Queen’s reaction to the Oprah Winfrey interview – as far as Her Majesty was concerned. Those noisy threats of legal action duly evaporated and the libel actions against the BBC never materialised.” The Queen was able to meet her great-granddaughter Lilibet before she passed away – despite the fact the Sussexes live in the States. But she wanted to ensure it was a private family affair.
In June 2022, Harry, Meghan and their children travelled to London to attend the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and it was during this visit that the monarch was able to meet her namesake for the first time. According to multiple reports, Harry and Meghan had requested they be allowed to bring a photographer into Windsor Castle to capture the sweet moment. But the Queen was firm in her decision and they were told, unequivocally, ‘no’.
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Following Harry and Meghan’s controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey , there were fears any photos of the Queen and Lilibet taken by the couple’s photographer would be shared by them with American TV networks. An insider told the Sun: “An insider said: “Harry and Meghan wanted their photographer to capture the moment Lilibet met the Queen. But they were told no chance. It was a private family meeting.”
