We know that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s close friend, actor Tyler Perry, is godfather to Lilibet, as he revealed the news in Harry and Meghan’s recent Netflix docuseries. However, little is known about the identity of Lilibet’s godmother.
According to The Mirror, reports suggest that Harry and his brother Prince William’s childhood nanny, Alexandra Pettifer, more commonly known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke, was selected as Lilibet’s godmother, although this has not been confirmed.
Tiggy, 58, was a guest at Lilibet’s big brother Archie’s christening in July 2019 and is believed to be one of his godparents, revealed The Times.
Royal Correspondent says Danielle Stacey says: “Choosing a godparent is an important decision for any parent and no doubt, Harry and Meghan would have selected people who have long supported them in their lives. It would be no surprise if they have chosen Tiggy as Princess Lilibet’s godmother, with Harry referring to his and William’s ‘favourite nanny’ in his memoir, Spare.”
The former royal nanny, who now lives on the Glanusk Estate in Wales, cared for Princes William and Harry in the nineties and retired from her royal role in 1999 when she married former British army officer Charles Pettifer.
She joined King Charles’ household while he and Princess Diana were separating, so was a strong source of emotional support for the boys.
Prince Harry introduced Meghan Markle to Tiggy shortly after their engagement, with a source saying at the time: “Harry couldn’t wait to introduce Meghan to Tiggy. Although the two women are very different, they got on famously.”
The insider added: “She’s a very significant person in Harry’s life, almost like a mother figure, as she looked after Harry when Princess Diana died.”
It’s also possible that Harry’s aunts, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, the sisters of the late Princess Diana, are godmothers to Lilibet. According to Marie Claire, they both attended Lilibet’s christening on 3 March.
Harry has maintained a close relationship with his mother’s siblings following her tragic death in 1997, and Jane even gave an emotional reading from the Song of Solomon at his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018.
Tyler Perry opened up about the moment Harry and Meghan asked him to be Lilibet’s godfather in their Netflix series.
He revealed: “We’ll call and we’ll chat and we’ll talk about silly things, and they were pretty serious on the phone, and I go, ‘Okay, what’s going on?’ They said, ‘Well, we’d like for you to be Lili’s godfather.’ I go, ‘Whoa.’ I had to take a minute to take that in.
“And I thought, ‘I’d be honoured. I’d absolutely be honoured.’”
Lilibet’s christening was confirmed on International Women’s Day with a spokesperson for the couple announcing the news with a statement that read: “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Bishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.”
