Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their second child on June 4, and named her Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor – in honor of her great-grandmother and grandmother.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also shared the sweet meaning behind their daughter’s name in the official statement announcing the birth on the Archewell website: “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”
However, in just less than a week, Baby Lili’s name has been the subject of controversy.
In a report published Wednesday (June 9), BBC cited an unnamed Palace source who alleged that the couple didn’t ask permission for the Queen to name their child after Her Majesty’s nickname.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has since addressed those claims. According to E! News, per a spokesperson for the Sussexes, Harry called his grandmother before they made the announcement – and that if she didn’t give them the go-ahead, they would’ve named their daughter differently.
And, it doesn’t appear likely that there was actually any issue with the name. The Royal Family are even “delighted” about the newest addition to their family.
Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s announcement on the birth of their daughter, Buckingham Palace issued a statement on June 6, “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.”
The Queen has also reportedly met Baby Lili. According to People, the couple reportedly video chatted with the Queen as soon as they got home from the hospital.
“[Prince Harry and Meghan] were very excited and couldn’t wait to share that their daughter arrived,” a source told the outlet.
Prince Harry’s dad, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, have also congratulated the Sussexes on their newest additions.
“Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie on the arrival of baby Lilibet Diana,” they wrote on their official social media account. “Wishing them all well at this special time.”
And, in a recent event that Prince Charles attended, he publicly spoke of his youngest granddaughter for the first time.
“The development of technology like electric vehicles is vital for maintaining the health of our world for future generations, something I am only too aware of today, having recently become a grandfather for the fifth time,” he said during a visit to the BMW MINI factory in Oxford, England on Tuesday (June 8).
“Such happy news really does remind one of the necessity of continued innovation in this area — especially around sustainable battery technology — in view of the legacy we bequeath to our grandchildren,” he added.
