The late Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly "outraged" after learning that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said they had her permission to name their daughter Lilibet, according to a new biography.
Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born in California in June 2021 and is now five. She recently relocated to the UK with her family. Lilibet is the couple's second child, a little sister for their son, seven-year-old Prince Archie.
Royal staff recall Queen's anger
In Robert Hardman's biography, Charles III: New King, New Court. In The Inside Story, previously serialised in the Daily Mail, one member of staff said the late Queen was "as angry as I'd ever seen her" after hearing that Meghan and Harry alleged they had been given her permission to use the name 'Lilibet'.
Lilibet was the nickname used by the late Queen, and the late Prince Philip later used it as a sweet pet name for his wife.
Dispute over blessing
At the time of their daughter's birth, the BBC reported that, contrary to what Harry and Meghan had said, the Queen was not asked for her blessing to use the name. Other reports also claimed that, while the late Queen was contacted by her grandson, she was not in a position to say no.
A spokesperson for Meghan and Harry later hit back at these claims, saying they would not have used the name for their daughter if the late Queen had not been "supportive".
Queen's private remark
Commenting on the situation, Mr Hardman shared in his book: "One 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."
According to Hardman, Queen Elizabeth told Palace aides: "I don't own the palaces, I don't own the paintings, the only thing I own is my name. And now they've taken that."
The young royal moved to the UK last month and has recently started at a school close to the family's new home. As well as her first name, Lilibet's middle name - Diana - also pays tribute to her late grandmother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
