Lilibet has met Lilibet!
Sussexes took daughter to Windsor Castle to see the Queen
THE Queen finally got to meet her great-granddaughter Lilibet in a private meeting at Windsor, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The no doubt emotional family reunion – the monarch has not seen her great-grandson, Archie, since he was a few months old either – took place in the 48 hours after Harry and Meghan arrived in the UK with their family by private jet on Wednesday, it is understood.
It is believed that Harry and Meghan took their children to Windsor Castle to see their greatgrandmother soon after they arrived in the UK, given the Queen’s current mobility problems, although this has not yet been officially confirmed.
Lilibet will today celebrate her first birthday in the UK and it is anticipated that, given that she has cancelled her trip to the Epsom Derby and will not be attending tonight’s Party at the Palace, the Queen will make time to see her grandson and his children again. It is also very likely that Prince Charles will get to meet his grandchildren too.
Lilibet was, somewhat controversially, named in tribute to the Queen, whose childhood nickname was Lilibet. It was coined when the then Princess Elizabeth was a toddler in the 1920s and struggled to pronounce her own name properly.
The Queen’s father George VI was quoted as saying of his daughters: ‘Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy.’
The nickname was also used by the monarch’s late husband, Prince Philip, as well as close family and friends.
At the time, many saw the Sussexes’ decision to name their daughter after the Queen as an attempt to emphasise their links with the Royal Family at a time when they were setting up lucrative commercial deals as part of their new independent lives in the US.
Buckingham Palace also became embroiled in a row over whether the Queen was consulted over the name in advance.
The BBC reported that the Sussexes had not asked permission to use the name and that none had been granted.
But a spokesman for the couple insisted that Lilibet’s great-grandmother was told in advance and that they would not have used the name had the monarch disapproved of it.
The spokesman 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.’
Harry also threatened legal action against the broadcaster, asserting that the claims were ‘false and defamatory’.
Some royal sources have waspishly indicated that there was a world of difference between asking permission and presenting it as a fait accompli.
‘The first family member he called’