There's been a lot of drama surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's baby's name. The couple welcomed daughter Lilibet Diana on June 4. The sentimental name was originally celebrated by many of those who heard it.
Now, however, it's the source of what seems like a constructed controversy. Royal aides have said that Queen Elizabeth was not aware of the moniker in her honor until the rest of the world learned about it. Harry and Meghan's team continues to assert that she was told before the baby's birth, was notified when the baby was born, and even met Lilibet via video chat after she came home from the hospital.
Now the bizarre narrative is getting even weirder, with royal expert Richard Kay suggesting that the Queen may have misunderstood the name when she shared it because she's hard of hearing.
A lot of royal fans are trying to understand why the drama around Lilibet Diana's name is happening. It seems that royal courtiers are struggling to believe they wouldn't know about family news before it became public knowledge. After all the controversy and leaks around the Sussexes in the last few years, it would make sense the royals would try to honor their privacy by keeping family matters limited to family, especially if everyone is working to mend relationships.
Royal commentator Richard Kay was bemoaning how this became such an issue while still placing blame with the Sussexes. Kay believes the Sussexes shouldn't have threatened legal action over the rumors, as they have drawn more attention and ill will to an already uncomfortable situation, as he wrote in The Daily Mail. Sussex fans believe they have to draw hard lines because of the position they've been put in so many times before.
Kay notes that although the couple used the name Lilibet, there was no indication the Queen was actually OK with it, as he argues she has to choose her arguments carefully when it comes to the "sensitive" Sussexes. He even suggests, with support from a royal source, that since they plan on calling the little girl Lili, they aren't actually doing much to honor the Queen.
"It might even suggest that they don't actually much like the name Lilibet anyway," he quotes the source as saying.
He then suggests that if Harry told the Queen this information by phone, she may not have understood him. "Most people of 95 no longer have perfect-pitch hearing and on a long-distance line there is ample room for a misunderstanding or two," Kay wrote.
"After all, 'Elizabeth' and 'Lilibet' – unless carefully annunciated – do not sound so dissimilar, especially when said at speed."
Even a suggestion of a dig when it comes to the Queen's cognitive abilities is a pretty big deal. Most other figures would get questioned about their ability to rule at as advanced an age as 95, but the Queen rarely draws such criticism.
The fact that Kay insinuated she could be the problem is really telling into where British media stands in their battle against the Sussexes. Clearly, anything goes.
Many suspect that the real issue is that an American-born royal baby who is partially Black now shares her name with Queen Elizabeth. There are some people who cannot look past race where Harry and Meghan are concerned. The only hope is that if that is the attitude, it is coming from outside the house and not within, as has been previously suggested.
For the many people who want to see a family reconcile and see real changes happen that put these issues behind them, it's exhausting to see how vested external forces are in making sure that doesn't happen. Making the Queen look petty and ungrateful does nobody any favors, especially when it can be easily disproved. It seems like the royals are starting to see where the leaks are coming from and are plugging up the boat.
Still, continued media attacks don't make the UK seem like a welcoming environment for the new family of four. Yet people will find ways to be outraged when they aren't on the balcony at Trooping the Colour or other equally significant events. It seems Harry and Meghan have no choice but to follow their guts to ensure their family's safety. The royal family, for what it's worth, seems not to be standing in their way.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
