Prince Harry and Megan Markle announced on Sunday that they have become parents for the second time. The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to a daughter, Lilibet Diana. The unusual name attracted a lot of attention and at the same time raised several questions. Is there a message hidden in the name? And how will the royal family, with whom Harry and Megan have a very complicated relationship, react to that?
The couple named their daughter after Queen Elizabeth II, more precisely after her private family nickname. That is how her grandfather and husband addressed her. The baby girl is also named after Princess Diana, her grandmother. She is the Queen’s 11th great-granddaughter and is the eighth in line to inherit the British throne, even though her parents decided to step back as Senior Royals.
Congratulations came from all sides, from members of the Royal family, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Megan’s friends.
What is the meaning behind the name Lilibet?
Lilibet is the queen’s family nickname, which originated when the Queen was still a child and could not pronounce her name correctly.
Her grandfather, King George V, called her Lilibet imitating her attempts to pronounce his name. That nickname remained, so Elizabeth became Lilibet for her family. Her parents and sister Margaret also called her by this name. Her father, George VI, said: “Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy. “
The Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, also addressed her by that nickname, and wrote to his mother-in-law after the wedding: “Lilibet is the only” thing “in the world that is absolutely real to me.”
It was reported in the media last night that a royal source told San: “Lilibet was a favorite nickname used by Prince Philip. He was also one of Harry’s favorites for many years. “
The middle name of Harry and Megan’s daughter is Diana, in honor of Harry’s mother who died in a car accident in 1997 in Paris. William and Kate also gave their daughter Charlotte the middle names Elizabeth Diana in honor of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana.
Harry asked the Queen for a permission
Buckingham Palace declined to comment when the Queen was informed about the birth of a baby, as well as whether she knew that the baby would be named after her. The Times writes that Harry allegedly talked to his grandmother before the official press release was published.
However, Prince Harry didn’t choose the name without the Queen’s permission. The Duke of Sussex knew how important that nickname was for his grandma, and asking to name his daughter Lilibet was something he had to do. Yet, some people think that naming a baby girl Lilibet was offensive, due to many accusations Harry made of his family, and many criticized the couple for being hypocrite.
Some media claims that Harry chose the name to mend the situation he and Meghan caused with the interview they had with Oprah. Naming his baby girl after grandma could be a peace offer to the British Royal Family.
In his recent podcast with Dax Shepard, he called the First Amendment ‘bonkers’, which led to many critics in the USA. Many were accusing Harry of being “rude” and “uneducated”, and many thought that he should go back home, because coming to the USA and criticizing its constitution was unacceptable. For that reason, media think that Harry and Meghan need to keep their options open, in case the people of the USA decide to boycott them.
Is reconciliation near?
However not everyone thinks that Naming their baby girl after Harry’s grandmother and mother was a total failure. Duncan Larcombe, a former editor at Sun, said he thinks this was “the best royal name Harry and Megan could give to their daughter.”
“There is no doubt that this is the right choice of name for Harry and Megan’s daughter – perhaps the only olive branch that Sussex could offer to the British Royal family since they left the royal duties,” he told the BBC.
The writer who writes about the Royals, Phil Dampier, said: “Lilibet is such a personal name for the queen, so you hope that they informed the palace first of all. I guess Harry and Megan realized that they had gone too far with criticism in the last few months and that they realized that they had harmed Harry’s grandmother and other family members. “
He also pointed out that Harry and Megan may be trying to repair some of the damage.
However, it seems that Buckingham Palace was surprised by the news published by Sussex. A palace spokesman congratulated the couple 90 minutes after the announcement.
Buckingham Palace officials were not aware that the baby was born until a statement was posted on social media on Sunday at 5 p.m.
Former palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter wrote for the Mirror: “I am surprised by the name that Harry and Megan chose for their daughter. It is not uncommon for baby families to be named after a parent or grandparent. But considering the world of what has been happening in recent months, such as the interview with Oprah and the series about mental health, I am surprised.
In those interviews, Harry was very critical of his father and his upbringing, so he was indirectly critical of the queen as well. Is the baby’s name actually an olive branch? Only Harry can answer that. “
Mary McFarren