Why did Harry and Meghan call their daughter Lilibet? A look into her name as she turns two today

On June 4, two years ago, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California.

Royal watchers waited in eager anticipation to know what the name of Harry and Meghan’s second child would be, and within just two days they had their answer. 

The couple shared the happy news with a statement through their Archwell foundation, saying ‘It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world. 

‘She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz. Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California, on June 4, 2021

The first picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s daughter Lilibet was released in a Christmas card in December 2021

Lilibet’s sentimental family name pays tribute to two very important female royals

‘Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honuor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.’

A personal message from the pair about their newly born daughter read: ‘She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.’

In anticipation of her birth, bookmakers favoured Philippa following Prince Philip’s recent death, along with Diana, Elizabeth, Allegra and Alexandra. 

Lilibet’s name still held held deep sentimental meaning, howeer, and paid tribute to two other members of the royal family.  

Why did Harry and Meghan pick the name Lilibet?

Lilibet’s first name is in honour of her late great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname was Lilibet.

The name was first used when the young Princess Elizabeth was just a toddler and unable to pronounce her name correctly.

From then on, the term of endearment stuck, and the Queen’s father, King George VI, reportedly used to say: ‘Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy.’

The Queen’s childhood name was also used by her late husband, Prince Philip, who passed away after 73 years of marriage on April 9, 2021. It was reported that this was the name that the Queen signed on the card placed on Philip’s casket.

The name Lilibet was first used when the young Princess Elizabeth was just a toddler, often used by her father King George VI. Pictured: The then Duke and Duchess of York with their daughter Princess Elizabeth in 1927

King George VI, reportedly used to say: ‘Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy’

However, Harry and Meghan revealed that they would be referring to their daughter as Lili – a playful modernisation of the sentimental family name.

It’s also believed that Lilibet’s nickname, Lili, may have been inspired by Meghan’s name of endearment from her mother, Doria Ragland, who would call her ‘Flower’ as a child. 

The name Lilibet, or Lili, originates from the Hebrew meaning ‘oath of God’, which is intended to be a reminder of the promise of love and hope in the world.

The late Queen Elizabeth took Harry and Meghan naming their daughter Lilibet as the ‘compliment it was intended to be’, according to the book ‘Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait’ by Gyles Brandreth.

Mr Brandreth added that the Queen accepted the choice with ‘good grace’.

Why pick Diana as a middle name?

The young Princess’s middle name pays tribute to Harry’s late mother and Lilibet’s late grandmother, Diana, Princess of Wales.   

Princess Diana passed away in a car crash on August 31, 1997, in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris when Harry was just 12.

‘Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales,’ the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said.

During Harry’s ‘The Me You Can’t See,’ an Apple TV+ documentary series, which aired in May 2021, he said: ‘My mom would be incredibly proud of me. I’m living the life she wanted to live for herself,

‘I’ve never felt her presence more as I have done over the past year.’

Lili’s cousin, Princess Charlotte, also has Diana as one of her middle names, with her full name being Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

The young Princess’s middle name pays tribute to Harry’s late mother and Lilibet’s grandmother, Diana, Princess of Wales 

Following their marriage in 1960, the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh joined their surnames together to become Mountbatten-Windsor

Why the surname Mountbatten-Windsor?

Like her brother, Archie, Lilibet has the hyphenated surname Mountbatten-Windsor, which was created to combine the names of the late Queen and Prince Philip.

Following their marriage in 1960, the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh sought to differentiate their direct descendants from the rest of the House of Windsor.

Philip’s family surname Mountbatten had been a thorny issue for the royals in the past. 

The late Prince had been keen that their children take Mountbatten and famously exclaimed: ‘I am nothing but a bloody amoeba when refused.

‘I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children.’

So, it was decided the Queen’s descendants, other than those with the style of Royal Highness and the title of Prince or Princess would carry the name of Mountbatten-Windsor.

Does Lilibet have an official title?

King George V limited family titles during the First World War. He decreed that only the children of the sons of the monarch – as well as the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales – could use the title His Royal Highness as well as ‘prince’ or ‘princess’.

Under the rules, only Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge’s eldest son Prince George – as a great-grandson of the monarch down the direct line of succession to the throne – was originally entitled to be a prince.

But the Queen stepped in ahead of George’s birth in 2013 to issue a Letters Patent ensuring all children of future monarch Prince William would have fitting titles.

After her birth, Lilibet was known as simply Miss, unlike William’s children, who were able to use the titles, Prince and Princess.

After Charles acceded to the throne, Lilibet and her brother automatically became Prince and Princess

Harry and Meghan are understood to be keen to not deny their children their titles but to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when older

Harry’s children could not make use of the title during the Queen’s lifetime as he wasn’t the grandson of a monarch, but after Charles acceded to the throne, Lilibet and her brother automatically became Prince and Princess. 

The pair were officially recognised as Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie in March this year – something Harry and Meghan decided was their children’s ‘birthright’.

A spokesman for the Sussexes said: ‘The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.’

While it is understood the title will be used in formal settings, it will not be in everyday conversational use by the couple.

Harry and Meghan are understood to be keen to not deny their children their titles but to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when older whether to drop or keep using them.

So, it will be up to Lilibet whether she wants to describe herself as a princess.