Royals at war: inside Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s clash with the BBC over new daughter Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana’s name, and why Buckingham Palace is keeping silent
In their ongoing war with the British press, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have now also clashed with the BBC over the version of events that led to the naming of their daughter.
Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, younger sister of the Sussexes’ two-year-old son Archie, was born at 11.40am (10.40am GMT) on Friday, June 4, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, weighing 3.5kg.
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The Sussexes vs the BBC
It has been widely reported that Harry and Meghan consulted the queen before the naming of their baby, but an article on the BBC’s website claimed palace sources had said the queen was not asked by the duke and duchess about naming their daughter Lilibet.
A spokeswoman for Harry and Meghan said their daughter’s name was mentioned in a conversation with the queen, and the couple’s lawyers have since written to the corporation.
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She said: “The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement. In fact his grandmother was the first family member he called.
“During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name.”
The Times newspaper reported that the couple’s lawyers, Schillings, have sent a letter to the BBC warning the story is “false and defamatory”.
Lawyers for the duke and duchess have also sent a letter to some media organisations, saying the BBC article was false and defamatory, and the allegations should not be repeated. Contacted by Reuters, the BBC had no immediate response to the letter.
The story by one of the BBC’s royal correspondents remains on the corporation’s website.
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The royal family don’t want to get involved
In a speech on Tuesday, June 8, Harry’s father Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, simply said it was “happy news”.
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It concluded that journalist Martin Bashir used “deceitful behaviour” to land the world exclusive, and that an internal BBC investigation a year later had covered it up.
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But he has always spoken warmly about his grandmother and late grandfather, and the queen has referred to her grandson and his family in sympathetic terms.
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The new baby is the queen’s 11th great-grandchild, and the first to be born since Philip’s death.
But with the Sussexes living in California, it is not known when or if the new addition will meet the queen and the rest of the royals any time soon.
The show must go on
“It’s time to spread the news something big is coming to Germany,” the duke said in the clip that featured Germany’s Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
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- The pair chose Queen Elizabeth’s nickname, Lilibet, for their newborn daughter, but the BBC contends that they didn’t consult the British monarch first
- The BBC fell foul of the royals most famously in 1995 with Martin Bashir’s controversial Princess Diana interview
