Piers Morgan’s wife is Celia Walden. She’s just as big of a nutcase as Piers. Celia occasionally writes columns for the Telegraph and other publications, and she’s been seeped in British media and royalist culture for decades. Like her husband, she is fervently anti-Sussex. Well, her latest Telegraph column is a doozy. It’s all about the big royal story/lie this week, the idea that Queen Elizabeth II was “infuriated” and “angry” about the Sussexes naming their daughter Lilibet. Celia’s piece is called: “Meghan hadn’t earned the right to call her daughter Lilibet.” Celia Walden hasn’t earned the right to have Meghan and Harry’s names in her f–king mouth.
There is a type of woman who calls you by a nickname too soon. You are not there yet. You may even barely know each other. She might be a friend of a friend or a neighbour you’ve crossed in the street once or twice, and then boom, out it comes: “So Ceels, how was your Christmas?” Because if the over-familiarity is not enough to set your teeth on edge, it’s often a nickname nobody has ever used before. One that will, hopefully, never be used again.
The intention is obvious: to speed up your “blossoming” relationship into something fully fledged; to con you into believing that you two are already intimate. If anyone else is present, they’re to be conned into believing the same.
I was reminded of this when I read reports, yesterday, that Queen Elizabeth had been infuriated by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s claims she had given them their blessing when they decided to name their daughter Lilibet – a childhood sobriquet of the Queen’s, also used as an affectionate nickname by Prince Philip throughout their relationship.
We’ll never know the truth, but the intention behind the use of that name seems as clear as day: so close were Meghan and the Queen, so informal was the relationship between these two “gal pals” that they knew and used well-worn terms of endearments in one another’s company. Why does that implication suggest Megan’s involvement more than it does Harry? Because, in my experience, mothers tend to have far more sway than fathers when it comes to choosing baby names. Certainly, when it came to naming my own daughter, my husband’s input largely extended to rejecting various early suggestions – a girl at school was called X and she had cankles; he’d once worked with an X and she was a nightmare – before eventually agreeing to my final choice.
This is backed up by statistics, with one 2010 survey confirming that four out of 10 British dads are forced to back down in the name game and let their other halves make the final say. Either way, I think we can all agree that “Lilibet” had Meghan stamped all over it.
As with so many areas of her detailed life plan, the Duchess of Sussex will likely have been thinking ahead to her future in the US and the narrative she would run with there. To the books, the Netflix narcissist-umentaries and the talk-show circuit we have to look forward to. One that will, doubtless, last a lifetime.
So important was it seemingly to carve out the narrative put forward so stridently to Oprah and ensure it was set in stone – Meghan and the Queen would share blankets in cars; Meghan was literally just on the phone to her – that the couple even ordered their lawyers, Schillings, to write to publishers and news broadcasters such as the BBC claiming the Queen was not asked for permission, and insist those claims were defamatory.
Again, we will never know the full truth. But next time you’re backed into a corner by someone aggressively calling you by a nickname they haven’t earnt the right to use, remember the agenda – and call them out on it.
Meghan had no idea who the queen was before Harry introduced them. She thought she was just going to meet his grandmother. She had no idea she would even have to curtsy or refer to her as “your majesty” and “ma’am.” In the months that followed, Meghan wasn’t trying to force a connection – she simply treated Harry’s grandmother with respect and followed Harry’s lead, and that was the connection. If I’m being honest, though, I doubt the name was Meghan’s call. It’s always felt like Harry got “his way” on their daughter’s name, named after the two women who shaped him. Imagine blaming Meghan because HARRY wanted to name his daughter after his grandmother. It really is one of the most asinine storylines they’ve cooked up, and Celia Walden needs her f–king head examined. They all do.
Note by CB: Harry and Meghan say they got Queen Elizabeth’s blessing to name their daughter after her nickname, but the courtiers and royal rota disagree! Sign up for our mailing list and get the top 10 stories about the drama over Lilibet’s name. We only send one email a day on weekdays.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is driven down The Mall after the funeral for HM Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London, United Kingdom. 19 September 2022.,Image: 724176085, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian / P / Avalon 
19/09/2022. London, United Kingdom. Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, watches the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II leaving Westminster Abbey in London at the end of the State Funeral Service.,Image: 724203970, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Licenced to i-Images Picture Agency. All Rights Reserved. UK copyright law applies to all print & online publications. i-Images space rates apply to all images. Magazines contact agency for fees before use. Images Single use only then repro fees apply. Info@i-images.co Tel: 07860204379, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stephen Lock / i-Images / Avalon 
** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Chester, UNITED KINGDOM – Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend lunch as guests of Chester City Council in Chester, England. Meghan Markle married Prince Harry last month to become The Duchess of Sussex and this is her first engagement with the Queen. During the visit the pair opened a road bridge in Widnes and visited The Storyhouse in Chester. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II, The Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 14 JUNE 2018 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
MANDATORY CREDIT: Chris Allerton – copyright SussexRoyal NEWS EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE. NO MERCHANDISING, ADVERTISING, SOUVENIRS, MEMORABILIA or COLOURABLY SIMILAR. NOT FOR USE AFTER FRIDAY JUNE 7, 2019, WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM ROYAL COMMUNICATIONS AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. This photograph is provided to you strictly on condition that these conditions and restrictions will apply (and that you will pass these on) to any organisation to whom you supply it. There shall be no commercial use whatsoever of the photographs (including by way of example only) any use in merchandising, advertising or any other non-news editorial use. The photograph must not be digitally enhanced, manipulated or modified in any manner or form and must include all of the individuals in the photograph when published. All other requests for use should be directed to the Buckingham Palace Press Office in writing. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are joined by her mother, Doria Ragland, as they show their new son, born Monday and named as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to the Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle. 
The Queen and Meghan The Duchess Of Sussex open the Mersey Gateway Bridge today, the bridge goes between Runcorn and Widnes in Cheshire.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcW1jZ4V1e8Keo6KZj6yurbDEp5adrZOdsrS%2FvqacoKCRo6yprcOnq5idkae7prC%2BrZ%2Bel6KetKnAvq2mmJuRobmgtMSrlp2ZpZy1tbHRmKOipJmXsrV7