Queen Elizabeth’s “anger” with Prince Harry over the name of her great-granddaughter Lilibet

A new controversy has erupted within the English royal family, this time concerning the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as well as the late Queen Elizabeth II. In a new biographical book about King Charles III, the author claims to have spoken to one of the late monarch’s aides in September 2022, who told him the nonagenarian queen was “angry like I’ve never seen her ” after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex assured they were blessed to use Lilibet as their great-granddaughter’s name.

The story dates back to 2021 and was told in the book “Charles III: New King, New Court”, by royal author Robert Hardman. In it, it is said that Queen Elizabeth did not approve of the use of her supposed childhood nickname, Lilibet – when she could not pronounce her name correctly – for Harry and Meghan’s daughter .

“One person privately recalled that Elizabeth II was ‘angry because I never saw her’ in 2021, after the Sussexes announced she had given them her blessing to name their daughter ‘Lilibet,’ the The Queen’s childhood nickname.” we read in one passage. in the book.

The nickname was also used affectionately by her husband, Prince Philip, during their relationship, according to British media outlet The Standard. Additionally, the monarch was reportedly angry when Princess Diana’s son and his partner pointed out that it had been approved by the matriarch.

According to Hardman, she threatened legal action if messages appeared claiming she had blessed her great-granddaughter’s name, Yahoo News reported, but they weren’t the only ones. The BBC reported that a Buckingham Palace source said the Queen had not been consulted and that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s response was to send legal letters against the media outlet and publishers, alleging that the information was false and defamatory.

At the time, a family spokesperson insisted that Harry had discussed it with his grandmother and that he would never have used the nickname as his daughter’s first name if he had not did not have the support of Elizabeth II. “The Duke spoke to his family before the announcement; in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called,” he highlighted on the occasion. Previous reports from the time claimed that the Queen had indeed been consulted, but did not feel able to say no, The Standard detailed.

“These strong threats of legal action evaporated and libel actions against the BBC never materialized,” wrote the author of the biography of Charles III. He also added that Buckingham Palace had “rejected” attempts by Harry and Meghan Markle to reaffirm their version of events, where Queen Elizabeth reportedly gave her blessing for the use of the nickname.

“However, when the Sussexes attempted to co-opt the Palace into supporting their version of events, they were rebuffed,” Hardman explained in the biography.

The book also recounts some of the events that contributed to the separation of the royal family, as well as the views of royal friends and staff. One such event was the active resignation of Prince Harry and Meghan from the royal family in January 2020, when they moved to Southern California, United States, to live in the hometown of the ‘American actress.

“Once again it was ‘recollections may vary’ – the late monarch’s reaction during an interview with Oprah Winfrey – as it relates to Her Majesty,” it added.