Queen Elizabeth Angry After Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Wanted Her To 'Endorse' Their Story, Royal Expert Claims
Queen Elizabeth's fury over Lilibet's name was due to what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did after giving her the late monarch's childhood nickname, according to a royal biographer.
British journalist and author Robert Hardman, who just released his new book "The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy," addressed the discussion about Lilibet's name after he mentioned the incident in his publication. He clarified that what made the Queen upset was the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's actions after announcing their daughter's name.
"I think there has been a lot of attention given to that part of the book, which I understand," Hardman told Us Weekly. "The root of the issue was not Harry and Meghan naming their daughter Lilibet; It was what happened afterward. It was when they said that this had all been done with [the Queen's] blessing."
In the book, Hardman quoted a former member of the Queen's staff who told him that the late monarch was "as angry as I'd ever seen her" after the Sussexes claimed they consulted her about naming their daughter, Lilibet, after her.
He clarified that the previous report from the BBC claiming that Prince Harry and Markle didn't have the Queen's permission to name their daughter after her was correct. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex denied the claim by releasing a statement saying they had called the Queen and got her permission, otherwise they would not have used her name.
"The BBC reported very factually that the queen hadn't actually been asked for her blessing," Hardman said, reiterating his claim in the book. "Harry and Meghan then resorted to lawyers and started firing off legal letters saying, 'If anybody says this, we're going to come after you.' At which point they then tried to enlist the Palace to support their version of events, and the Palace didn't."
The Queen reportedly didn't feel bad about his grandson and granddaughter-in-law naming their child after her even if they didn't ask her permission. However, what allegedly infuriated Her Majesty was the Sussexes trying to persuade her to "endorse" their story, which didn't occur.
Us Weekly reached out to Prince Harry and Markle's rep but did not immediately receive a response.
An unnamed insider previously claimed that the Sussexes had the Queen's approval for their daughter's name.
"Meghan and Harry 100 percent got permission from the queen to use the name Lilibet," the anonymous source said in response to Hardman's claim in his book. "The report is not true. [Harry and Meghan] don't know where this is coming from. They're 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 spear campaign that continues against them."
Meanwhile, Lady Colin Campbell, a royal pundit and author of "Meghan and Harry: The Real Story," told GB News that the Sussexes asked the Queen's permission, but they allegedly lied because they were not straightforward. The Queen reportedly agreed because she thought they would use her name "Elizabeth" and not her intimate nickname "Lilibet."
