THE Queen had “no choice” but to let Meghan and Harry name their daughter Lilibet as everyone is “walking on eggshells” with them, an expert claimed.
Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born on Friday morning in Los Angeles- and the Sussexes named her in honour of Her Majesty and Princess Diana.
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Prince Harry and Meghan’s choice to name their daughter Lilibet has been seen as an attempt to repair relations with the Royal Family.
Lilibet Diana shares the nickname Prince Philip called his wife the Queen for more than 70 years — while the middle name is a tribute to Harry’s mum.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, gave birth at 11.40am local time on Friday at a hospital ten minutes’ drive from their £11million mansion in Montecito, California.
But the Queen’s biographer Sally Bedell Smith says that with everyone “walking on eggshells” to keep Meghan and Harry happy, Her Majesty was probably left with “no choice” but to accept the baby’s name.
The royal expert told Vanity Fair: “In today’s tense climate, when everyone is walking on eggshells with Harry and Meghan, I can’t imagine that the Queen had any choice but to accept the name they presented to her.
“Even if she felt—as would be completely understandable—that it breaches her privacy with a suggestion of inappropriate intimacy.”
Meanwhile, sources suggest Buckingham Palace officials were left out of the loop about Lilibet Diana’s birth – and only found out at 5pm along with the rest of the world.
According to The Times, Her Majesty was told that her 11th great-grandchild was going to be named after her.
But it’s not known if the Queen knew that the Duchess of Sussex had given birth before the public did.
It wasn’t until 6.34pm – over an hour and a half after Meghan and Harry’s announcement – that the Royal Family released a well-wishing statement about the good news.
Buckingham Palace officials were said to be unaware the baby had been born until the announcement came out at 5pm on social media, according to Mail.
The Palace declined to discuss when the Queen was informed of the safe arrival of her newest great-grandchild – or whether she was advised on Lili’s name.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The Celeb Report: “‘I hope the obvious tribute to the queen is the dawn of an era of reconciliation and healing.”
In a statement released last night Harry and Meghan, who have a two-year-old son Archie, said: “On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili.
“She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe.
“Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”
A spokesman said mum and baby were “healthy and well”.
Meghan chose Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital over the popular Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles.
The spokesman went on: “Lili is now setting in at home.” They confirmed: “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet.
“Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”
