Despite stepping down from their royal duties over three years ago, the Duchess of Sussex continues to be the subject of intense scrutiny and criticism online. It has also been claimed that shortly after their wedding, Markle allegedly registered "sussexroyal.com." However, the independent verification of these domain purchases remains unconfirmed.
Critics argue that Markle's actions indicate an early intention to distance herself from the UK. In 2018, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry tied the knot and were bestowed the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Queen Elizabeth II.
According to Renee Sayers, there was a belief that Markle was confident they would receive these titles following their marriage. In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from their royal duties, initially relocating to Canada before eventually settling in California.
In 2021, they welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lilibet Diana, in California. Interestingly, prior to her birth, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had already purchased the domain names "lilydiana.com" a week before her birth and "littlebitdiana.com" on the day of her arrival. This suggests that the couple had already decided on the name before consulting with the Queen, who was informed four days prior to Lilibet's birth in California.
In response to claims by the BBC that the Queen had not been consulted on the name, Harry and Meghan's lawyers denied the allegations, considering them false and defamatory. Royal author Phil MPA speculated that registering the domain before the name announcement indicated that the couple had made up their minds about the name and likely only informed the Queen once they had finalized their decision.
However, he noted that although Harry may have discussed the name with the Queen, it doesn't necessarily imply seeking permission days or weeks in advance.
There is a belief that the Queen may have been caught off guard and chose not to object to the name in order to avoid further upsetting Harry. While the palace has not officially refuted the BBC story claiming Harry didn't seek permission before announcing the name, the public announcement of Lilibet Diana's arrival came two days later.
Harry maintains that he spoke to his grandmother in advance about the name, although he has not specified the exact timing of the conversation, stating only that his grandmother was the first family member he called. A spokesperson for the couple explained that, as is customary for public figures, a significant number of domains associated with potential names were purchased to prevent their exploitation once the chosen name was shared.
The statement suggests that if Queen Elizabeth II had refused permission to use the name Lilibet, the couple would have resorted to another name from the collection of domains they had purchased before the birth.
