By Steven Brown
PUBLISHED: 08:45, Tue, Jun 8, 2021 | UPDATED: 11:53, Tue, Jun 8, 2021
Prince Harry 'told Queen he'd name child after her' says expert Kelly Hartog
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's new baby, named Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, was born at 11.40am on Friday, June 4, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, weighing 7lb 11oz. She was named after the Queen's family nickname and also Harry's mother Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997.
The name Lilibet harks back to the Queen's childhood when she could not pronounce her own name.
The only person who used the name in recent times was Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away in April.
At his funeral, the Queen reportedly left a handwritten note on his coffin and signed it "Lilibet".
Kelly Hartog, a US journalist, has claimed Meghan and Harry are attempting a reconciliation with the Firm without "doing any reconciliation work".
She wrote in her latest column on NBC News: "From where I sit, it looks like Harry and Meghan are using a Band-Aid to try to fix a gunshot wound, with Harry saying, 'Hey Grandma, I know you're p****d off with me right now, so I thought I'd take your very private nickname and put it in the public domain by giving it to our newborn daughter.'
"At best, the decision seems tone-deaf.
"At worst, it's a cynical attempt at a reconciliation without actually doing any reconciliation work.
"Frankly, the queen deserves better.
"Her late husband — the only one who really was entitled to call her by her nickname — was barely in his grave when her grandson chose to shout across the pond, 'Surprise!'"
She said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should have attempted to heal the family rift in a "private forum".
Ms Hartog continued: "Harry and Meghan have been in the US for only 15 months, but it appears that in their eagerness to embrace the laid-back American attitude — and their desire or need for public visibility — they have chosen to throw royal rules and traditions out the window yet again.
"If Harry and Meghan really wanted to make inroads in healing this family rift, they could have done so in a private forum."
Ms Hartog is not the only expert who has lashed out at Harry and Meghan's name choice.
Royal biographer Angela Levin claimed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were "rude" to the Queen and she will be "unhappy" that their daughter was named Lilibet.
Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain, Ms Levin said: "I think she's desperately unhappy because they were desperately rude about her.
"I don't think it's a good idea. I think it's quite rude to her Majesty the Queen.
"It was a very private nickname from her husband who hasn't been dead for very long.
"Prince Charles would never dream of referring to his mother as Lilibet.
"He's never used it - it was a special name, especially for the Duke of Edinburgh."
The Sussexes' press secretary confirmed the baby had been named Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
She added: "Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home.
"Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet.
"Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her beloved late grandmother, the Princess of Wales."
The new baby is the Queen's 11th great-grandchild, and the first to be born since Philip's death.
