Photo: Getty
Before he and Meghan Markle decided to name their new daughter Lilibet Diana, Prince Harry has told friends that he sought the blessing of his grandmother, the Queen. Lilibet was the monarch’s childhood nickname, used only by the late Prince Philip, her parents, and a few of her closest friends. It is a surprisingly intimate name to use, and holds even more sentimental meaning when paired with Diana, the name of Harry’s late mother. But according to a friend of the Duke’s, “He loves and respects his grandmother. For Harry these are two very important and meaningful names.”
View this post on Instagram
Harry called his family to share the good news after their daughter was safely delivered on Friday morning. Harry and Meghan said in a statement on Sunday that their daughter will be known as Lili, which the Queen’s biographer Sally Bedell Smith believes is a happy compromise.
View this post on Instagram
“Asking the Queen’s permission for the name would be in line with royal tradition,” Bedell Smith said. “I know when the Duke and Duchess of York (later George VI and Queen Elizabeth) proposed to name their second daughter Ann Margaret, King George V and Queen Mary objected to ‘Ann,’ so they settled on Margaret Rose.”
Read Next: 10 Times Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Were the Perfect Royal Couple
Originally published on VanityFair.com
