Interior designer Nicky Haslam, who is friends with the
Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Michael of Kent and Sarah, Duchess of York,
has opened up about the royal family, specifically Prince Harry and Meghan
Markle, and revealed that the monarch didn’t think they would name their
daughter Lilibet.
Speaking in The Third Act podcast back in March,
the designer said: “Why on earth didn’t they call that baby Doria?
Prettiest name ever. They go and call it Lilibet.”
He then added: “He rang her up because she was
furious, he rang her up and said, ‘We want to call our daughter after you,
Granny,’ and she said, ‘Oh how charming, thank you,’ thinking it will be
Elizabeth. So, he got permission, but they didn’t say the name.”
Meghan and Harry welcomed their daughter on 4 June 2021 and
announced the happy news two days later.
The statement read: “It is with great joy that Prince
Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter,
Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world.”
Explaining their choice of name, they added: “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.”
Days later, a palace source told the BBC that the
Queen was not asked for permission.
Responding to the article, a spokesperson for the Sussexes
insisted they would not have used the name had the Queen not been supportive.
“The Duke spoke with his family in advance of the
announcement – in fact his grandmother was the first family member he
called,” the statement read.
“During that conversation, he shared their hope of
naming their daughter Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they
would not have used the name.”
