Meghan Markle Takes a Subtle Swipe at Queen Elizabeth on Her Podcast: ‘Don’t Ask…’

Meghan Markle recently wrapped the first season of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder. In the final episode, she took a subtle dig at the late Queen Elizabeth by advising expectant mothers to avoid asking others’ opinions when choosing baby names. The remark caught the attention of royal watchers as, following the birth of Princess Lilibet, reports emerged that the late Queen was ‘furious’ when Markle and Harry named their child after her without her consent.

In the episode, the Duchess of Sussex explored the importance of trusting one’s instincts while conversing with Spanx founder Sara Blakely. As reported by the Daily Express, Markle advised her listeners that instincts work the same for naming a child as it does for naming a company. She said, “I will say this to every woman in the world or every person in the world who’s gonna have a child, if you have an idea of what you’re gonna name that baby, you keep it so close to your heart until that baby is born and it’s named. Don’t ask anyone’s opinion.”

The advice, however, was seen as a thinly veiled dig at Queen Elizabeth, re-opening the conflicting narrative around Lilibet's naming. The Duke and Duchess claimed that they had gotten the Queen’s permission to name their daughter after her, but reports said otherwise. In Robert Hardman’s biography, Charles III: New King, New Court, he claimed that the late Queen was 'furious' when the Sussexes chose the name 'Lilibet’, a nickname that had always been hers. The Queen allegedly said, “The only thing I own is my name. And now they’ve taken that.” Sources also told the author that while the Queen was consulted, she was hesitant to decline their request.

Meanwhile, as reported by the BBC, a spokesperson for the couple said at the time, “The Duke spoke with his family before the announcement; in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called. During that conversation, he expressed their hope to name their daughter Lilibet in her honor.” Royal expert Angela Levin, however, asserted that Markle had trademarked the name even before her daughter was born, which allegedly angered the Queen.

Despite the fiasco surrounding Lilibet’s birth, in June 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the arrival of their baby girl, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. They said in a statement, “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet.” According to Hello! magazine, Queen Elizabeth’s parents and grandparents, affectionately called her ‘Lilibet’ because she couldn’t pronounce her name. Later, her late husband, Prince Philip, lovingly used the nickname for her.