During the trip, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also marked their daughter’s first birthday. After the Queen’s passing, it was claimed that Meghan and Harry had requested a private photographer to capture the Queen’s first encounter with her great-granddaughter and namesake, Lilibet.
It was said that the monarch politely declined this request in a single, short phrase.
It was reported that the couple were told that there was “no chance” of a photographer being present, adding that it was being seen as a “private family meeting”. It was later suggested that there were concerns that the personal photographs may end up on US television networks if taken by Harry and Meghan’s own photographer.
Writing in his memoir Spare, Harry reminisced on his daughter’s meeting with his beloved grandmother – even sharing exactly what Lilibet and her brother Archie got up to. He wrote: “Archie making his deep bows, his baby sister Lilibet cuddling the monarch’s shins.”
Discussing the late Queen’s reaction to meeting his children, he wrote: “Sweetest children, Granny said, sounding bemused. She’d expected them to be a bit more … American, I think? Meaning in her mind, more rambunctious.”
Following the late Queen’s death in 2022, author Robert Hardman claimed that she was left “outraged” by Meghan and Harry’s “lie” about their daughter’s name.
In his book, Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story, Robert revealed that one member of staff had stated that the late Queen was “as angry as I’d ever seen her” after hearing that Meghan and Harry had claimed they’d received her blessing to name their daughter ‘Lilibet’ – a childhood nickname used by the late monarch and those dearest to her.
It was subsequently said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would not have used the name if the monarch had not been “supportive”.
At the time, a spokesperson 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 preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
