In 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their first child, Archie. Two years later, they had a daughter, choosing a name that sparked controversy: Lilibet. Although named in honor of Queen Elizabeth, critics questioned the decision, especially since the couple had already stepped away from royal duties.

Lilibet was born in California and only met the Queen once. That meeting reportedly didn’t go as Harry and Meghan had hoped—Elizabeth declined to take a photo with her great-granddaughter. According to a royal author, Harry should have foreseen the backlash the name might bring.

In his memoir Spare, Harry didn’t shy away from criticizing the Royal Family. He shared candid insights into life as a royal, touching on issues with King Charles, Camilla, William, and Kate. He even revealed he wasn’t invited to visit William and Kate’s home when Prince George was young and expressed concern that Charlotte and Louis might end up feeling like “spares,” as he had.

Despite these tensions, Harry also wrote about the joy surrounding the births of Archie and Lilibet. Archie was born in London’s Portland Hospital, with Harry determined to avoid media attention. By contrast, Lilibet’s birth in Santa Barbara, California, was kept largely private. The couple issued a brief statement:

“Lili was born on Friday, June 4, at 11:40 a.m. in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital… Both mother and child are healthy and well and settling in at home.”

Family members did congratulate the couple, even amid strained relations. Harry and Meghan had earlier revealed during their Oprah interview that they were expecting a girl and that she would be their last child. Speculation around her name began immediately.

While Archie Harrison had no royal ties in name, Lilibet’s did. Though many expected the couple might name their daughter Diana, sources said they feared that might place undue pressure on her. Instead, they chose Lilibet—a name Queen Elizabeth used for herself as a toddler, famously coined because she couldn’t pronounce her own name. The Queen’s grandfather, King George V, used the nickname, and it stuck within the close family circle. Prince Philip was among the few who called her Lilibet, once writing, “Lilibet is the only ‘thing’ in the world which is absolutely real to me.”

Though the gesture appeared touching, royal experts weren’t all pleased. Some saw it as a step too far. Richard Kay wrote in the Daily Mail, “By giving the baby the name Lilibet… there is a risk. Will it be seen as a presumptuous choice?” He questioned how Prince Charles might feel, given that even he never used the intimate nickname.