QUEEN Elizabeth was furious over Meghan and Harry’s claims she had given them her blessing to name their daughter Lilibet, an explosive book has claimed.

One member of staff has told how the late Monarch was “as angry as I’d ever seen her” when Harry and Meghan said Her Majesty was “supportive” of the choice.

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Harry and Meghan said publicly they would not have used Her Majesty’s private nickname if she was not ‘supportive’Credit: Getty

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When the Sussexes asked Buckingham Palace to ‘prop up’ their version of events, they were ‘rebuffed’. Pictured, with Lilibet and ArchieCredit: Alexi Lubomirski
As a toddler, Her Majesty used to pronounce her own name ‘Lilibet’ because she couldn’t say Elizabeth.

It soon became a beloved nickname, used only by close family members including her parents and husband Prince Philip.

Yet the Sussexes decided to name their newborn Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor after her birth in Los Angeles on June 4, 2021.

The Archewell announcement of Lilibet’s birth read: “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet.”

A palace source soon claimed the pair never sought permission from the Queen to name their daughter after her.

Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, slammed the claim as false and defamatory.

They said at the time: “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.”

Other sources told how the Queen felt she wasn’t in a position to say no during the call.

And when the Sussexes asked Buckingham Palace to “prop up” their version of events, they were “rebuffed”, the book claimed.

The author claimed: “One privately recalled that Elizabeth II had been ‘as angry as I’d ever seen her’ in 2021 after the Sussexes announced that she had given them her blessing to call their baby daughter ‘Lilibet’, the Queen’s childhood nickname. “‘

“The couple subsequently fired off warnings of legal action against anyone who dared to suggest otherwise, as the BBC had done. However, when the Sussexes tried to co-opt the Palace into propping up their version of events, they were rebuffed.

“Once again, it was a case of “recollections may vary” – the late Queen’s reaction to the Oprah Winfrey interview – as far as Her Majesty was concerned.

“Those noisy threats of legal action duly evaporated and the libel actions against the BBC never materialised.”

SPARE

The revelations have been laid bare in royal expert Robert Hardman’s new biography: ‘Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story’.

The book – serialised in the Daily Mail – offers a number of illuminating insights into the thoughts and feelings of senior members of the Royal family.

It claims neither King Charles or William have read Prince Harry’s explosive autobiography Spare, but they’ve been briefed on key points.

Prince William is understood to be “mortified” by Harry’s “casual betrayal” of shared secrets in the explosive memoir.

Harry wrote that William “attacked” him and ripped his necklace after calling Meghan “difficult”.

And in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary series Harry claimed Royal men look to marry someone who “would fit the mould”.

Prince William, interpreting him as referring to his wife Kate, slammed the statement as the “lowest of the low”, according to Hardman’s book.

And while the King reportedly feels “exasperated” by Harry, he is too preoccupied with Royal duties to dwell on it, according to a friend.

QUEEN’S FINAL MOMENTS

The last instalment of the book’s serialisation, published on Saturday, revealed Queen Elizabeth’s final moments were “painless” as she “slipped away” surrounded by her family at Balmoral.

In a memo, her devoted private secretary Sir Edward Young wrote: “Very peaceful. In her sleep. Slipped away. Old age.

“She wouldn’t have been aware of anything. No pain.”

The biography also revealed how a footman brought a locked red box of paperwork by the late Queen after Sir Edward wrote the poignant note.

Inside the box, royal staff unveiled two sealed letters – one for King Charles III and the other for her private secretary.

Although the content of the letters are unknown, royal experts believe their existence shows the Queen thought her time was coming to an end soon.

The book also alleged King Charles did not dine with Harry on the night Queen Elizabeth died.

The booked claimed The King needed to have “discreet discussions” with William before being expected to “console the whole country”.

Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story by Robert Hardman, is out in hardback on January 18, published by Macmillan.

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The King – picture here at the Christmas Day service at Sandringham – reportedly feels ‘exasperated’ by Harry, a friend alleges in the biographyCredit: PA

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Prince William is understood to be ‘mortified’ by Harry’s ‘casual betrayal’ of shared secrets, the book claims. Pictured, alongside Kevin Sinfield and his wife Jayne after awarding Kevin a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)Credit: Reuters

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The Sussexes welcomed their daughter Lilibet on June 4, 2021Credit: Getty

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Queen Elizabeth’s final picture before her death at the Drawing Room before receiving Liz Truss for an audience