Last week Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcomed their second child, a girl which they named Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
Royal biographer, Angela Levin is not happy with the name suggesting that the couple’s decision is “rude” toward Queen Elizabeth II. According to Levin, Lilibet was the private nickname frequently used by the queen’s late husband, Prince Philip, who died just two months ago.
The pet name goes back to the queen’s early childhood when she could not yet pronounce her own name, calling herself “Lilibet” instead. Soon other members of the royal family took up the nickname. Even King George VI, the future queen’s father, was once quoted saying, “Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy.”
“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 while appearing on “Good Morning Britain.”
“Prince Charles would never dream of calling his mother Lilibet,” she added.
“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,” Levin continued.
She noted that 36-year-old Harry “did mention to his grandmother” that he would be naming his daughter after her — “but I bet you he didn’t say, ‘I’m going choose Lilibet.’”
The couple chose to give the newborn the middle name “Diana” in honor of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, which could also be seen as a dig at the queen.
There are some, however, who view the name as a tribute to the queen or a not-so-subtle attempt at a royal reconciliation. Either way the moniker will live on as the official statement announcing the child’s birth read, “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet.”
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