Meghan Markle and Prince Harry triggered Royal Family 'scuffle' with move that 'disrespected' Queen
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry triggered a "diplomatic scuffle" within the Royal Family by using Queen Elizabeth II's "intimate nickname" as the name for their second child according to a royal author.
Meghan and Harry named their daughter Lilibet Diana in an intended show of respect to both the Duke of Sussex's grandmother and mother.
However, Tom Quinn has claimed that Prince Harry should have known that choosing the Queen's precious nickname Lilibet over the name Elizabeth would be perceived as "disrespectful".
In his new book, Gilded Youth An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, Mr Quinn wrote: "Meghan and Harry's second child, a daughter, was born in Santa Barbara, California, on June 4 2021.
"Even naming this child sparked a diplomatic scuffle. Hating even to think about the admittedly labyrinthine rules of protocol that surrounded the British Royal Family, Meghan and Harry called her Lilibet, apparently in the belief that it would be a wonderful surprise for her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
"That Harry did not have the sense to predict that this would cause trouble is beyond belief.
"He surely would have known that appropriating the monarch's beloved childhood nickname would be perceived by many as disrespectful and intrusive in a way that naming their daughter Elizabeth would have not been."
The royal author continued: "The Queen may well have been upset that her grandson and his family laid claim to the intimate nickname that had always been very much part of the Queen's private life, but it is perhaps more likely that the flunkeys who surround the monarch and some of the starchier older royals were irritated by what they saw as a presumption."
Mr Quinn added: "The late Queen may even have been touched by the gesture - a claim made by royal biographer Gyles Brandreth.
"But this point to a fundamental misunderstanding based on differences between American and UK culture."
In 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a statement claiming they had consulted the Queen before naming their child Lilibet.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes 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."
However, a Palace source told the BBC that the Royal Family had not been informed of the name choice for their daughter by the couple.