Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not willing to let the media stress their family out again.
The couple has threatened legal action against the BBC over claims of inaccurate reporting. The BBC recently published reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not consult Queen Elizabeth about using her nickname, Lilibet, as their daughter's first name. The claim came from royal aides who believed they would not have learned the information at the same time as the public if the Queen had advance knowledge of the news.
Harry and Meghan's team has asserted that the Queen was asked if she approved of the name before the baby girl was born, and they told the Queen about the birth shortly afterward. Royal sources refute those claims, saying she learned the news alongside the rest of the world.
A report by the BBC about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter has stirred up a lot of controversy. The broadcast network shared a palace source's assertion that contrary to what they led others to believe, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did not tell Queen Elizabeth what they planned on naming their daughter ahead of her birth.
BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond tweeted out the report he shared on BBC Radio 4 Today.
"Palace source tells BBC that the Queen was not asked by Meghan and Harry over the use of her childhood nickname; reports suggested Harry had sought permission from Queen to call newborn 'Lilibet'; but Palace source says the Queen was 'never asked'," he tweeted.
Sources close to Harry and Meghan say that the Queen was one of the first people to learn of Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor's birth on June 4. However, palace aides are saying she found out when the rest of the world did.
Harry and Meghan's team is sticking to the original narrative. "The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement – in fact his grandmother was the first family member he called," their spokesperson told the BBC.
"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."
While some are siding with the BBC reporting and slamming Harry and Meghan for naming the child without the Queen's consent, there are others who think this may be indicative of where royal aides are positioned now when it comes to communications about family matters.
"Those close to Prince Harry confirm that he spoke to close family before the announcement so perhaps this report highlights just how far removed aides within the institution (who learned of the baby news alongside the rest of the world) now are from the Sussexes' private matters," noted royal insider Omid Scobie.
Harry and Meghan are letting the media know they aren't entertaining these or any rumors at this point. Their legal team issued a letter to some news broadcasters and publishers who had already picked up the story, saying that the BBC report was false and defamatory and should not be repeated.
While this may seem like a lot of drama, it speaks to a strength in Harry and the Queen's relationship. It seems that if she was informed as is suggested, she kept Harry's secret for him so that there would be no leaks from the palace to worry about. Leaks were a big issue in many of the previous family grievances, with royal aides playing a big role.
There's no word as to which other family members were in on the secret, though Prince William and Kate Middleton may have been among them. Lilibet shares a middle name with Princess Charlotte, whose full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
