Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made a special request of Queen Elizabeth II when she met their daughter — Princess Lilibet, who’s named in her honor — for the very first time in 2022, months before she died. The monarch reportedly responded with a resounding no.
Keep reading for a look back at what went down…
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle traveled to the U.K. in 2022 with Princess Lilibet and her big brother, Prince Archie. The couple reportedly wanted to get an official photo of their daughter with Queen Elizabeth II. However, an insider told Daily Express that they were told there was “no chance” of there being a photographer present for what was intended to be a “private family meeting.”
In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry recalled Queen Elizabeth II seeing Prince Archie and meeting Princess Lilibet for the first time, with “Archie making his deep bows, his baby sister Lilibet cuddling the monarch’s shins.” According to the Duke of Sussex, “Granny” called his son and daughter the “sweetest children” while “sounding bemused.” Speculated Harry, “She’d expected them to be a bit more … American, I think? Meaning in her mind, more rambunctious.”
Princess Lilibet’s name sparked controversy after a source claimed Queen Elizabeth II didn’t approve of her nickname being used for the little one. In Charles III: New King, New Court, Robert Hardman wrote that, according to a source, Elizabeth was “as angry as I’d ever seen her” when she heard Prince Harry and Meghan Markle named their daughter Lilibet.
After the book was published, a rep for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shut down the assertion that Queen Elizabeth II was upset about Princess Lilibet’s name. “The Duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement [of Lilibet’s name] — in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called,” the spokesperson said. “During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honor. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name.”