Everything We Know About Princess Lilibet & the Alleged Controversy Around Her Name

The Sussexes Welcome Lilibet & Share Her Name

Two days after welcoming their daughter on June 4, 2021, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced her arrival — and her sentimental name.

“It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world,” the couple’s statement began.

A Moniker of Two Matriarchs

Though obvious to anyone with knowledge of the royal family, Meghan and Harry explained the meaning behind Lilibet’s first and middle names.

“Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet,” the statement read. It continued, “Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”

Lilibet’s last name, Mountbatten-Windsor, is also a nod to both Prince Philip’s lineage and the queen’s family name.

The First Wave of Backlash

After the Sussexes shared Lili’s name, royal biographer Angela Levin appeared on Good Morning Britain to share her opinion on the matter.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea — I think it’s quite rude to Her Majesty Her Queen. It was a very private nickname from her husband, who hasn’t been dead for very long,” Levin said. 

Despite Levin’s insistence, the nickname did not, in fact, originate via Prince Philip’s use. As a child, the queen pronounced her name “Lilibet,” as she couldn’t yet properly say “Elizabeth.” The nickname caught on within the family, with her father King George VI once famously saying of his two daughters, “Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy.”

Nonetheless, Levin doubled down on how “rude” she believed Meghan and Harry to be for honoring Queen Elizabeth and letting her nickname live on through the late monarch’s great-granddaughter.

“We knew what it was but it was his name — [the Duke of Edinburgh] wanted that name for her; it was a special name. I think it’s quite demeaning, I really believe that,” the author continued.

Sussex Supporters Call B.S.

Journalist Afua Adom was also on Good Morning Britain, and she called Levin’s claims “ridiculous.” Adom began, “To say the Queen would be unhappy is frankly ridiculous.” She added, “It’s a bit of a nod to Meghan’s mother, Doria, as well. Her nickname for Meghan is ‘Flower.'”

Additionally, the Duchess of Sussex included lily of the valley in her bridal bouquet when she married the duke in 2018 — which was a nod to Princess Diana, who also featured the flower in her own wedding bouquet.

Adom continued, “It’s also a bit of a stretch to say that the Queen is fuming that her great-grandchild is named after her. I think it’s a nod of affection.” We’re inclined to agree — despite the insane criticism they face, Meghan and Harry genuinely do not seem like the type of people to name their child out of spite. The move seems much more like an extended olive branch; a decision made to show they still care about the royal family despite their strained relationship.

Buckingham Palace Shares Royal Family’s ‘Delighted’ Reaction

Further dispelling Levin’s claims, Buckingham Palace released their own statement after the Sussexes announced Lilibet’s arrival.

On behalf of Queen Elizabeth, then-Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William and Kate Middleton, the statement read, “The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”

Additionally, Kate and William shared their own congratulatory message on social media. “We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili. Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie,” the Wales’ tweet read.

Debate on Whether Harry Asked Permission or Not

During her Good Morning Britain appearance, Levin also expressed her doubt that Harry specifically asked his grandmother for permission to name his daughter Lilibet. Though the biographer said that the prince “did mention to his grandmother” that he was going to name Lili after her, she speculated, “I bet you he didn’t say, ‘I’m going choose Lilibet.'”

After her claims riled up the very divisive royal family fanbase, other royal sources told Page Six that Harry had informed the queen of his and Meghan’s desire to name their daughter after her and did indeed specify that they wanted to call her by Elizabeth’s nickname, which the queen allegedly had no issue with.

Rekindling the Fire

While the name debate calmed down after multiple sources assured the world that Queen Elizabeth was fully aware — and supportive — of her great-granddaughter receiving her nickname, it was not the end of the controversy.

Fast forward nearly three years later to January 2024. Royal author Robert Hardman, who is a passionate critic of the Sussexes, released his book The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy.

Hardman claimed that the queen was in an absolute rage over Lilibet’s name.  “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,” the author alleged.

He also boldly claimed that Meghan and Harry threatened legal action against anyone who spoke against their narrative. Hardman added, “However, when the Sussexes tried to co-opt the Palace into propping up their version of events, they were rebuffed.”

Shocked Sussexes

Following Hardman’s claims, a source close to Meghan and Harry told Us Weekly that the couple was in total shock over the renewed allegations. “Meghan and Harry 100 percent got permission from the queen to use the name Lilibet,” the insider reiterated.

They continued, “The report is not true. They don’t know where this is coming from. [They are] shocked that this is coming now; it seems out of nowhere and out of left field. They just feel like it’s more of the same smear campaign that continues against them.”

The insider notably added, “They feel it’s convenient [that] this is surfacing now when the queen is not here to defend herself and can’t say what is true or false.” Very suspicious indeed, as Elizabeth and the entire royal family seemed content to let the controversy surrounding Lili’s name die out after reports supported the Sussexes’ side of the story. 

Allegations Begin Snowballing Again

Weaving her way back into the debate, Angela Levin appeared on GB News in January 2024 to claim that Meghan Markle had copyrighted her daughter’s name to profit from it.

Speaking about Queen Elizabeth’s alleged distress over her nickname being used, Levin said, “I think one of the reasons she felt that way was because it was discovered that Meghan, even before Lilibet was born, had taken out the names officially so that she could use them to buy things and to identify them.”

The royal biographer insisted that the duchess had copyrighted “Lilibet,” reiterating that Meghan filed the legal request “before she had Lilibet.” Levin continued, “I think that was awful for the Queen because she gets drawn into owning organizations due to the name being so unique.”

What the Sussexes *Actually* Did

Levin’s claims weren’t entirely incorrect, but they were twisted to fit the narrative of Meghan and Harry being the villains of the royal family. The couple did not copyright their daughter’s name; rather, they registered several domains in her name prior to her birth — just as they did with their son, Prince Archie.

In 2021, a spokesperson for the Sussexes explained to People, “As is often customary with public figures, a significant number of domains of any potential names that were considered were purchased by their team to protect against the exploitation of the name once it was later chosen and publicly shared.”

At the time, many outlets noted that Meghan and Harry had purchased domains for websites including LilibetDiana.com and LiliDiana.com. While their critics would of course assume the couple did this as a way to make a quick buck off of the royal family, the decision was more likely a move to ensure their daughter would have rights to web addresses using her name, should she follow in her mom’s footsteps with creative aspirations for a website or blog in the future.

Speculation About the Future

In January 2024, royal expert Kinsey Schofield contributed her two cents to the discussion during a chat with Express UK. Schofield’s opinion specifically looked toward the future, how the controversy surrounding Lilibet’s name may affect the princess as she grows older, and when the Sussexes might inform their daughter of the, in Afua Adom’s words, “frankly ridiculous” debate.

“Based on some of the causes that Harry and Meghan have taken up, I bet it will be a significant amount of time before Lili has the type of freedom online to discover this particular scandal,” Schofield theorized. She added, “By then, I imagine that she will have it indoctrinated in her that the press is bad and full of misinformation … according to her parents.”

Well, considering the press can absolutely be “bad” and is very often “full of misinformation,” we’re not really sure why Schofield is passing off the Sussexes’ concerns as conspiracy theories. Not to mention that the couple’s desire to shelter their kids from the digital world is rooted entirely in concerns for their mental well-being and safety — which they have firsthand experience with themselves. 

Further Attacks on the Duchess’ Character

Oh-ho-ho, but that wasn’t all Schofield had to say. She audaciously continued, “Lili will likely not be bothered by the sensational story. She will not understand the importance of her great-grandmother because Meghan has shown no interest in investing in the history of Harry’s family … [she] will likely continue to be so detached from the royal family,” the commentator opined.

So … Meghan doesn’t want to respect the history of the royal family, yet she named her daughter after not one, not two, but three of its most prominent members? If she were so detached from the family, why on earth would she opt to weave their legacy into every single part of Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor’s name? Yeah, we’re calling some serious B.S. on Schofield’s graceless remarks — the math ain’t mathing.

Though she and Harry made the difficult decision to distance themselves from the royal family, Meghan is well-documented to have put a valiant effort into fitting into the royal machine for years — only to have been met with resistance at every turn in ways that few to no other members of the family have experienced.

The heated debate around Lilibet’s name is exhibit A. Once again, Meghan and Harry have attempted to mend their relationship with the royal family, only to have their heartfelt gesture crapped all over. It’s no wonder why they so rarely venture out in public and fervently shelter their kids — and yet, legions of people continue to believe the worst of them. We would say we hope the controversy dies down and they can have some peace … but for this branch of the royal family, it seems like when one ends, another begins.