Meghan and Harry Did Consult the Queen About Using Name Lilibet

london, england july 10 l r queen elizabeth ii, meghan, duchess of sussex, prince harry, duke of sussex watch the raf flypast on the balcony of buckingham palace, as members of the royal family attend events to mark the centenary of the raf on july 10, 2018 in london, england photo by chris jacksongetty images

(Image credit: Chris Jackson)

published 10 June 2021

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry consulted the Queen (opens in new tab) before naming their daughter Lilibet after her (opens in new tab), the Sussexes said 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," a spokesperson for the couple said.
"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," the spokesperson added.

Because the media cannot allow Meghan and Harry a single happy occasion without spinning it into criticism, the BBC alleged earlier this week that the Sussexes did not consult the Queen before naming their newborn daughter Lilibet, the monarch's family nickname. But a spokesperson for the Sussexes has shut said story down, noting that the Queen was the very first relative Harry called after Lilibet's arrival on June 4.

"The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement—in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called," the spokesperson said, as the Guardian reports (opens in new tab). "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." Now, can we perhaps leave them alone, especially considering it hasn't even been a week since Lilibet was born?!

As the Guardian recaps, the BBC's royal correspondent, Jonny Dymond, claimed on BBC Radio 4’s Today show that a "good palace source" was "absolutely adamant" that Meghan and Harry—who are famously close to the Queen—had apparently named their daughter without consulting her. (Dymond did not name the source in question.) Lawyers for the Sussexes have since written to the BBC, calling the story false and defamatory.

A statement on the Sussexes' Archewell website (opens in new tab) explained the super sweet inspiration behind Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor's name. "Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet," the statement read. "Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales."

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.