Prince Harry naming daughter Lilibet was a 'disrespectful' use of Queen's private nickname, claims author

Prince Harry naming his daughter Lilibet was a 'disrespectful' use of a private name and caused major issues within the Royal Family, says a royal expert.

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a daughter named Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor who was born on June 4, 2021.
• It has now been revealed that this name choice from the Duke and Duchess ruffled some feathers in the royal residences.
• In other royal news, We're still swooning over Camilla's highly patterned shirt dress as the flattering style is the perfect look for spring.

Author Tom Quinn has revealed in his book, Gilded Youth An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, that the decision from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to name their daughter after the Queen, was a controversial one to say the least.

"Even naming this child sparked a diplomatic scuffle," said Tom per The Mirror (opens in new tab). "Hating even to think about the admittedly labyrinthine rules of protocol that surrounded the British royal family, Meghan and Harry called her Lilibet, apparently in the belief that it would be a wonderful surprise for her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

The author then revealed that the Prince did not even consider that this would be anything but a sweet gesture. "That Harry did not have the sense to predict that this would cause trouble is beyond belief," he said. "He surely would have known that appropriating the monarch's beloved childhood nickname would be perceived by many as disrespectful and intrusive in a way that naming their daughter Elizabeth would have not been."

The royal expert suggested that some commentators viewed this name as a 'cynical' attempt to emphasize their 'royal currency' as they left their senior roles in the Royal Family and adjusted to life in the US.

The expert then speculated that the Queen may have even been upset with this decision. "The Queen may well have been upset that her grandson and his family laid claim to the intimate nickname that had always been very much part of the Queen's private life, but it is perhaps more likely that the flunkeys who surround the monarch and some of the starchier older royals were irritated by what they saw as a presumption," he said.

This expert's opinion about this name has been supported by other commentators who claimed, the Royal Family raised eyebrows at Harry and Meghan's 'rather presumptuous' and 'bewildering' decision to name their daughter Lilibet.

In Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, author and reported friend of Prince Philip, Gyles Brandreth explained that some members of the family were not impressed with the name choice. "Others in the family found the choice ‘bewildering’ and ‘rather presumptuous’, given that ‘Lilibet’ as a name had always been intimately and exclusively the Queen’s," wrote Gyles. "Later, the Queen said: ‘I hear they’re calling her “Lili”, which is very pretty and seems just right.'"

However, Gyles also added that the Queen did appreciate the compliment of the name choice. "According to the Sussexes, Harry sought his grandmother’s permission to use her family nickname as the Christian name for her 11th great-grandchild," said the author. "The Queen’s recollection was a little different. According to the Queen, Harry told her the Sussexes wanted to call the baby ‘Lilibet’ in her honor and she accepted their choice with good grace, taking it as the compliment it was intended to be," he said.