One of Queen Elizabeth II’s former staff has claimed that the late monarch was very upset at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for naming their daughter after the family nickname “Lilibet.”
The news came to light in the new book “Charles III: New King, New Court” by royal author Robert Hardman. He noted that the Royals were surprised that Harry left this info out of his record-breaking memoir “Spare.”
Queen Elizabeth Did Not Approve Of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s Daughter’s Name
Hardman revealed in a new book on the royal family that the queen didn’t approve of her granddaughter Lilibet’s name. This comes after the claim by the Sussexes that she had given them her blessing to name their daughter after the queen’s childhood nickname.
According to the “Charles III: New King, New Court” biography, a staff member who worked closely with the late monarch noted that she had never seen Queen Elizabeth “as angry as” she was at the time. Lilibet was allegedly the late queen’s childhood nickname, which grew on close members of the family when she couldn’t correctly pronounce “Elizabeth.”
Hardman noted that she threatened new publications with court action when they claimed that she blessed the name of her grandchild. This followed claims that Harry and Meghan ordered their lawyers to clarify that the queen approved the name.
The author wrote, per the Daily Mail, “Those noisy threats of legal action duly evaporated and the libel actions against the BBC never materialised.”
Hardman Explored Other Last Moments Of The Queen
Hardman also wrote about other last moments of Queen Elizabeth before passing away. This included that she wrote a parting letter to her son and heir, King Charles. The letter was one of two she carefully put in her box before peacefully “slipping away.”
While the content of the letter wasn’t revealed, the writer noted other details of the queen’s relationship with the Sussexes and other members of the family.
He wrote about the events that contributed to their split from the family and the opinions of friends and staff on the family subject. Hardman also expressed concern that Lilibet was only in the UK for a short period, but the couple decided it was best to name her after the queen.
Royal Family Was Shocked Harry Left Out Details Of Lilibet’s Name From ‘Spare’
Hardman noted in the biography that the royal household particularly expected Harry and Meghan to have spoken on the issue surrounding Lilibet’s name since their separation from the royal family. He added that it was surprising that ‘Spare’ revealed so much detail about the family and left out such an important part.
The name was a personal favorite of the queen, as only her parents, her children, her siblings, her husband, and some close friends could call her that. Prior to the attempts to put out disclaimers, BBC had alleged that the queen disapproved of the name choice.
At the time, a speaker for the Duke and Duchess noted, “The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement – in fact his grandmother was the first family member he called.”
They added, “During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honor. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name.”
The Author Commented On Harry’s Relationship With The King
Amid revelations about the Queen, Hardman spoke about the Duke’s relationship with his father and how the King felt about him. He explained that King Charles was upset at the controversies surrounding the royal family, given Harry and Meghan’s recent actions.
He quoted a friend saying, “Of course the King is extremely sad about Harry and Meghan, but there is a sense of exasperation, that he has done what he can and now he is King, there are many more things to think about.” Hardman explained that the King is only interested in moving on with his life.
Regarding Harry, the writer noted that the Duke wished that people would see that he only wanted to protect his wife and his family. He also felt insulted that the royal family didn’t respect him enough to treat Meghan with kindness.