Friday 1 July 2022 07:27 AM Queen 'gave Harry permission to name his daughter after her thinking she would ... trends now

The Queen believed that Harry and Meghan would name their daughter Elizabeth - not Lilibet - after a phone call with the Duke of Sussex and was taken aback when their choice was revealed, a friend and interior designer to the royals has claimed.

Socialite Nicky Haslam, whose royal pals include everyone from the Duchess of Cornwall to Prince Michael of Kent, made the incredible claim on a recent podcast where she insisted the Sussexes should have named her Doria.

Ms Haslam alleged that the Queen had been under the impression that the child, who was born last June, would be named Elizabeth — and was surprised to discover that the couple had, in fact, called her Lilibet.

He said: ‘I heard he [Harry] rang her and said: “We want to call our daughter after you, Granny”. She said: “How charming of you, thank you”, thinking that it would be Elizabeth. So they got the permission, but they didn’t say the name.’

Speaking on The Third Act podcast, Ms Haslam goes on to question why Harry and Meghan didn’t name the baby after the American former actress’s mother instead.

‘Why on earth didn’t they call that baby Doria?’ he asked, adding: ‘It’s the prettiest name ever.’

A spokesman for the Sussexes did not comment, more than three days after the Daily Mail asked them about Haslam’s claims.

Mystery has surrounded the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to call their daughter Lilibet since the BBC’s royal correspondent, Jonny Dymond, claimed last year that they did not ask the Queen if they could use her family pet name.

In response, Prince Harry and Meghan launched an unprecedented legal attack on the BBC, saying the story was ‘false and defamatory’.

Their spokesman said: ‘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.’

Now, Ms Haslam, a friend of the royals has added to the mystery of what they did or didn’t say in their telephone conversation with the monarch.

Lilibet has important sentimental connotations for the Queen because it was the name used in private for her by her father, George VI, and by her late husband, Prince Philip.

Buckingham Palace's decision not to publish the bombshell investigation into allegations of bullying by Meghan Markle is an 'olive branch' to the Sussexes, a royal expert told MailOnline yesterday.

Commentator and author Richard Fitzwilliams has claimed the royal household may hope that the couple could 'reciprocate in kind' when it comes to Harry's upcoming memoirs and rumours of another sit-down with Oprah Winfrey.

The Queen's aides today confirmed Buckingham Palace had 'revised' its HR policies in the wake of the probe - but will not release the final report - as one royal insider claimed: 'The household seems to be terrified of upsetting or provoking Harry and Meghan'. 

Mr Fitzwilliams claims that publishing the findings would have had an 'incendiary' impact on the already strained relations between the households in London and LA - and may even have led to a legal challenge.

He said: 'The Palace, faced with the possibility of a memoir by Harry later this year and who knows what else if the Sussexes, as budding philanthropists, were antagonised, has simply closed it down. This is obviously an olive branch to the Sussexes too'. 

And amid claims it will cause anguish for the aides who claimed they were bullied, he added: 'This is not a monument to transparency and those involved may well feel hard done by, especially considering the allegations that Meghan ill-treated staff'.

The Queen announced the probe last year after sensational claims emerged 15 months ago following complaints by staff during a 'toxic period' before the couple emigrated in early 2020.

'Broken' royal aides told of feeling humiliated, 'sick', 'terrified', left 'shaking' with fear, and being reduced to tears. Meghan was accused of having inflicted 'emotional cruelty' on her staff and 'drove them out'. One branded the Sussexes 'outrageous bullies'. 

The palace employees who spoke out claimed to The Times last year that there had been a litany of alleged 'emotional cruelty'.

Lawyers for the Sussexes vehemently denied the couple bullied or mistreated staff allegedly between late 2018 and early 2020. Meghan then accused the Royal Family of 'perpetuating falsehoods' about her and Harry in their interview with Oprah Winfrey that was released hours after the allegations emerged in March 2021.  

Royal sources also disclosed yesterday that the Prince of Wales had a ‘very emotional’ first meeting with his granddaughter Lilibet and a special reunion with grandson Archie when Harry and Meghan returned to the UK for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Charles and Camilla were ‘absolutely thrilled’ to see the family.

Harry has had a troubled relationship with Charles, telling Oprah Winfrey last year how he felt let down by his father, who he claimed had abandoned him financially - a claim much disputed by well-placed sources.

But a senior royal aide, at the briefing of Clarence House’s annual review, said it had been ‘wonderful’ to have the Sussexes back in the UK at the start of June.

‘It was fantastic to see them. It was wonderful to have them back in Britain,’ the source said.

‘The prince and the duchess were absolutely thrilled to see them.

‘The prince, of course, hasn’t seen his grandson Archie for a bit of time and so it was very, very, very special to have some time with him.

‘He hadn’t met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing.’

What do the Palace fear revealing about 'Duchess Difficult'? Staff say they were 'traumatised' by Meghan's behaviour. But her defenders say she just had high standards. As a report into the episode is buried, RICHARD KAY examines the history of the saga

Five o’clock in the morning is an unusual time for a member of the Royal Family to be issuing instructions for staff. It smacks of panic and suggests an overly controlling nature. It is certainly anti-social.

But in the summer of 2018 junior employees at Kensington Palace were becoming wearily familiar with these dawn emails and texts from the newly married Duchess of Sussex.

Palace officials were at first quick to offer reassurance: part of Meghan’s working day meant connecting with contacts in the U.S., they said, when she had to be at her desk because of the time difference, hence the early messages to staff. They also talked of ‘cultural differences’ in management style. Americans, they suggested, were more direct.

Meanwhile, friends of the former actress were gushing to People magazine that Meghan had always prided herself on being a good boss. On one occasion, they related, she had paid for an ice cream stand to come to provide free treats for the staff. But over time these explanations seemed increasingly threadbare.

By October the glow of her and Prince Harry’s May wedding had long since faded and insiders were openly describing Meghan as ‘Duchess Difficult’.