Critics who say Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were 'rude' to name their daughter after the Queen weren't upset when Prince William and Kate Middleton did the same thing
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Samantha Grindell
Jun 8, 2021, 20:58 IST
Critiques of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter's name points to a double standard within the monarchy.Toby Melville/Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are being criticized for naming their daughter after the Queen.
But Prince William and Kate Middleton were expected to honor the Queen when their daughter was born.
The criticism of Lilibet's name underscores the double standard between the two couples.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their second child on Friday. They announced Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor's birth on Sunday.
"Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet," the couple said in a statement on the nonprofit Archewell's website. "Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales."
Multiple royal commentators and journalists have taken issue with the moniker since it became public, suggesting it was offensive to use the Queen's nickname.
But Lili's cousin Charlotte - whose full name is Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge - is also named for her grandmother and great-grandmother, and Prince William and Kate Middleton were celebrated for paying homage to the Queen when they announced their daughter's name.
The backlash against Lili's royally connected name highlights the double standard between Harry and Markle as compared with William and Middleton.
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Multiple royal commentators have taken issue with the name Lilibet, with one even arguing it is 'rude' to the Queen
Though Harry and Markle made clear they intended to honor the Queen by calling their daughter Lilibet, some royal critics have taken issue with the name.
On Monday's "Good Morning Britain," Angela Levin said the name was "quite rude" to Queen Elizabeth II because "it was a very private nickname from her husband, who hasn't been dead for very long," adding that "Prince Charles would never dream of calling his mother Lilibet," as Page Six reported.
Though Lilibet was a private nickname within the royal family, its existence has been well-documented in modern times. For instance, it is often used on Netflix's "The Crown."
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Likewise, Piers Morgan, who stormed off "Good Morning Britain" after a cohost accused him of trashing Meghan Markle in April, said the name choice was "quite ironic."
"In today's tense climate, when everyone is walking on eggshells with Harry and Meghan, I can't imagine that the Queen had any choice but to accept the name they presented to her, even if she felt - as would be completely understandable - that it breaches her privacy with a suggestion of inappropriate intimacy," Bedell Smith said.
Prince William and Kate Middleton didn't face backlash for naming Charlotte after the Queen and Diana
Princess Charlotte's full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, with her middle names honoring her great-grandmother and grandmother.
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At the time, it was not only expected but celebrated that William and Middleton would pay tribute to the Queen with their daughter's name.
Likewise, according to the BBC, people rejoiced over the multitude of royal connections to Charlotte's name, most notably the fact that it was the feminine form of Charles and therefore honored the Prince of Wales.
Charlotte's royal name was not cause for controversy, and critics have doubled down on the message that it is acceptable only for William to honor his family members with his children's names in recent days.
For instance, Jeremy Vine said on the "Jeremy Vine" show that William naming his daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana made more sense than Harry honoring the Queen with Lilibet's name because William "did not accuse the royal family of racism."
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The statement suggests that any critique of the royal family precludes Harry or his children from paying tribute to their relatives.
The criticism is just the latest example of the double standard with which Harry and Markle are treated
The negative reactions to Lilibet's name as compared with Charlotte's aren't the only example of Harry and Markle being treated with a double standard.
But the condemnation of Lilibet's name is arguably the most egregious example of these critics' biases against the couple, as they're now villainizing a newborn, whose name honors both Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana, because of their disdain for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
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Harry and Markle can't seem to do anything right in the eyes of their critics, even when it comes to naming their child.
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