Lilibet meaning: The Queen's nickname explained
15 January 2024, 15:56
Why was the Queen Elizabeth II called Lilibet, what does the name mean and where does it come from?
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The Queen's official title during her 70 year reign was Queen Elizabeth II, but throughout her life she was also lovingly referred to as Lilbet by her close family.
In 2021, when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their daughter, they revealed to the world they had named her Lilibet as a tribute to Her Majesty The Queen, something the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claim they informed her about.
Now, reports from Robert Hardman's new biography about King Charles III claims the Queen was furious when the couple claimed she had granted permission for the name Lilibet to be passed along.
A palace source told Hardman the Queen was “as angry as I’d ever seen her" at the time.
As the controversy around Harry and Meghan's use of the Queen's nickname for their daughter resurfaces, we take a look at where the name came from.
Why was the Queen called Lilibet?
It is believed the name Lilibet was given to Queen Elizabeth II by her grandfather, King George V, when she was just a little girl.
Lilibet allegedly became a beloved nickname for the Queen after King George V first used it to imitate the way she would say "Elizabeth", being too young at the time to say it correctly at the time.
Throughout her life, the nickname was used by her parents, the Queen Mother and King George VI, and later her husband Prince Philip.
It appears the name became such a beloved moniker that the Queen used it to refer to herself. In one letter written to her grandmother, Queen Mary, when she was just a little girl, the Queen wrote: "Darling Granny. Thank you very much for the lovely doll's house. I do love it, and I have unpacked the dining room and the hall. Love from Lilibet."
What does Lilibet mean?
Lilibet, while widely being associated with the Queen and now Harry and Meghan's daughter, is in fact a baby name in its own right.
According to The Bump, Lilibet is a Hebrew name meaning "God's Promise" or "God Is My Oath".
It is reportedly derived from the Hebrew root Elisheba which has the same meaning.
Why did Harry and Meghan name their daughter Lilibet?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their daughter on 4th June 2021 and later revealed to the world they had named her Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's team said at the time: "Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet.
"Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales."
Read more:
- The thoughtful homemade gift Kate Middleton gave the Queen for Christmas
- Did the Queen meet Lilibet?
- Royal fans can't get over how much Lilibet looks like the Queen
