Queen Elizabeth II has not been consulted by Prince Harry and his wife about the name Lilibet given to their newborn daughter, a source in Buckingham Palace told the BBC.
Lilibet is the queen’s nickname among family members since childhood.
A source close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said he spoke to the queen before the baby was born and “mentioned” the name. But a source in the Palace said that was not the case and that the queen was never asked about its use.
The relationship between the Dukes of Sussex and the British royal family has been on the front pages of newspapers in recent months.
In an interview with journalist Oprah Winfrey, broadcast in early May, the two harshly criticized the royal family for racism, without presenting evidence. Prince Harry said, among other things, that there were difficulties in his relationship with his father, Prince Charles, but that he had a good relationship with the queen and that they spoke frequently.
Last weekend, the couple announced the birth of their daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in a hospital in Santa Barbara, California.
Lilibet appeared when Princess Elizabeth was a child and could not pronounce her name correctly. Her grandfather, King George V, affectionately called her Lilibet, mimicking her attempt to say her name. The nickname remained and began to be used by close relatives.
The queen signed Lilibet on the funeral wreath of one of her closest friends, Count Mountbatten. Prince Philip, who had been her husband for more than seven decades, also called her Lilibet.
After the birth of the great-granddaughter, it was considered that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle talked to the queen about choosing the name. Articles appeared in the press in which friends of the couple were quoted as saying that Prince Harry had asked his grandmother’s permission.
The Times wrote that the queen had been informed by Harry about the name.
A source close to the Dukes of Sussex told the BBC that Prince Harry had talked to the queen before he was born, a claim that has since been disputed by the Palace.
Lilibet Diana is the 11th great-granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Archie’s younger sister, who is now 2 years old.
Her second name is a tribute to Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, who died in 1997. Princess Charlotte, the daughter of Prince William and Kate Middleton, is also christened Diana and Elizabeth.
After her birth, Buckingham Palace said the queen and other senior officials had been informed and were “delighted with the news”.