'NOT A GOOD IDEA'
Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s choice of ‘private’ name Lilibet is ‘rude’ and ‘demeaning’ towards the Queen, expert says
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry were today slammed for calling their daughter Lilibet - with one critic blasting the name choice "rude" and "demeaning" towards the Queen.
Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, who shares Her Majesty’s family nickname, arrived at 11.40am on Friday in California.
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Some royal experts have said the decision to name her after the Queen could act as an olive branch to the Royal Family after recent controversies.
But royal biographer Angela Levin slammed the sentimental move - suggesting it exploits "a very private nickname".
She told Good Morning Britain: "I don’t think it’s a good idea - I think it’s quite rude to Her Majesty Her Queen.
"It was a very private nickname from her husband who hasn’t been dead for very long.
"Prince Charles would never dream of calling his mother Lilibet."
The Queen was given her nickname by her grandad King George V, who joked that she couldn’t pronounce her name Elizabeth as a child.
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Her Majesty's husband Prince Philip later adopted the name himself and was one of the few people to use it regularly.
Ms Levin said of the private name: "We knew what it was but it was his name - [the Duke of Edinburgh] wanted that name for her, it was a special name, I think it’s quite demeaning, I really believe that.”
She added that Harry "did mention to his grandmother" that he was going to name his daughter after her - "but I bet you he didn’t say I’m going choose Lilibet".
The royal commentator later told talkRADIO adopting the name is a "terrible invasion of [the Queen's] privacy," and even suggested Harry had gone about it in a "cunning" way.
"He could have done it in a rather cunning way by saying 'we'd love to use your name for our baby daughter' - that is not saying Lilibet.
"He pulled a stunt similar to that when he did this mental health programme because he said he had got his grandmother's permission in 2019 to do this documentary.
"But he said it was all about people from Invictus games and ex-servicemen and women suffering from mental problems," she said, seemingly referring to ITV's Harry and Meghan: An African Journey.
Meghan and Harry have also honoured Harry's "beloved" late mother Princess Diana with the baby's middle name, Diana.
A statement published on their Archewell website said: "On June 4, 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.
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The spokesman went on: “Lili is now setting in at home.”
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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.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announce birth of baby girl Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor
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