Princess Lilibeth, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter turned three on Tuesday, but the heat of the royal feud upstaged her birthday. Over the weekend, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly hosted a pre-birthday bash for their daughter in their home in Montecito, California. They had close friends and family in attendance, marking the youngster’s third birthday ahead of the big date.
The couple welcomed the little princess on June 4, 2021, following their move to California. Following her birth, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took to the Archewell Foundation website to share their daughter Lilibeth’s arrival with the world. They also revealed her name as Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, named after the late Queen Elizabeth. The website revealed that Lilibeth was a nickname the late monarch adopted as a child, while her middle name, Diana was a nod to the late Princess Diana, the child’s grandmother.
Harry and Meghan’s decision to name their daughter Lilibeth, the Queen’s “very personal” childhood nickname sparked backlash at the time. Ultimately, reports surfaced, claiming the Sussexes asked permission from the monarch before naming their daughter after her.
A royal courtier was quick to debunk the claims, insisting the couple never sought the Queen’s approval beforehand, per BBC. The insider described their conversation with Queen Elizabeth II as “a telling, not an asking,” implying they simply informed the queen of their given name after making it official. Further claims insinuated the Queen became enraged when she found out about the name in 2021.
The drama surrounding their daughter’s name Lilibeth reportedly forced Harry and Meghan to send legal threats to publishers and news outlets like the BBC. The letters, issued by the Sussexes’ legal representatives, condemned the claims that they did not ask the Queen about the name beforehand as “false and defamatory.” Years later, this rumor of the controversial ex-royals faking the Queen’s approval is once more rearing its head, seeping into the tabloids amid Princess Lilibeth’s third birthday.
