Palace aides are ‘celebrating’ about the Lilibet ‘truth’ coming out in a new book

Royal historian Robert Hardman’s new book, Charles III: New King, New Court, has been feeding headlines in the royal media for days, ever since the first book excerpts came out in the Mail last Friday. The biggest story, according to the entire royal media establishment, is that Queen Elizabeth II was “infuriated” and “very angry” that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex named their daughter Lilibet, because that was QEII’s family nickname. Nevermind that after the initial flurry of screaming and crying (from the courtiers), QEII let it be known that she was fine with the name and fine with the Sussexes. None of Hardman’s stories make QEII look good or like a reasonable person, which is probably why the royal press is already trying to walk back some of it, in a way. To be clear, they absolutely want to throw a tantrum about the Sussexes, but they’re not sure if people are really buying the idea that QEII was genuinely that upset. Well, the Mirror ran an exclusive this week about the name controversy (eyeroll) and how Buckingham Palace feels about this story coming out.

Palace courtiers claimed this evening that a new book had revealed “the truth” about a bitter row at the heart of the Royal Family.

Royal sources said ­Buckingham Palace was “relieved” and aides were “celebrating”. In his biography of the King, royal author Robert Hardman alleges the late Queen was furious over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to call their daughter Lilibet in 2021, and their claim they asked for her permission.

A royal aide claimed the monarch was “as angry as I’d ever seen her” after the Duke and Duchess said they had Elizabeth’s blessing to use her old nickname. The Queen reportedly told aides: “I don’t own the palaces, I don’t own the paintings, the only thing I own is my name. And now they’ve taken that.”

A royal source said: “There’s no denying it is pleasing that the truth has emerged. [Harry and Meghan] attempted to railroad their version of events through, which weren’t accepted then and they are not now. You’ll find the silence [from the Palace] speaks volumes, but everyone is quietly celebrating this particular wrong being righted.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

“You’ll find the silence [from the Palace] speaks volumes, but everyone is quietly celebrating this particular wrong being righted.” Over a child’s name. You’d think we were talking about the most crass breach of etiquette – we’re talking about the queen’s grandson using his beloved grandmother’s nickname for his child. Something which happened nearly three years ago, and the current king and his courtiers are still furious about it? To the point where “the palace’s silence speaks volumes” and yet those same palace aides are crowing to the Mirror that “the truth has emerged”? Again – even the Mail’s Rebecca English admits that Harry did call his grandmother and that he sought permission. Harry wasn’t “railroading his version of events,” he was telling the truth and the courtiers were lying, as they are still lying and smearing a dead queen. It’s absolutely bizarre because the aides who briefed Hardman about this stupid name issue are the same ones briefing the Mirror about their “celebration.”

Note by CB: Harry and Meghan say they got Queen Elizabeth’s blessing to name their daughter after her nickname, but the courtiers and royal rota disagree! Sign up for our mailing list and get the top 10 stories about the drama over Lilibet’s name. We only send one email a day on weekdays.

Update by Kaiser: Hardman was on a talk show in Britain this morning and now he says that the whole controversy wasn’t about the name at all, it was about Harry’s statement about asking QEII?

‘The one thing you don’t do with the Queen is put words in her mouth.’

Robert Hardman’s brand new book ‘Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story’ has got everyone talking.

One revelation was the Queen’s apparent fury at Harry & Meghan’s claim they had her blessing to… pic.twitter.com/ElSGVi8VHR

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) January 17, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.