Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have certainly made waves with their Netflix series Harry & Meghan, largely because of its focus on the British royal family and British press.
However, the show did also allow the parents to reveal the identity of their daughter’s godfather.
And while some might find their choice somewhat unexpected, there is a reasonable explanation behind the story of Lilibet’s godfather…
Harry and Meghan’s daughter, Lilibet ”Lili” Diana, became a major talking point the day she was born on June 4, 2021. Naturally, people worldwide sent their congratulations to Harry and Meghan after Lilibet’s birth. That included the Royal Family and all of its members.
Prince William and Kate Middleton wrote: “We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili. Congratulations to Harry, Meghan, and Archie.”
The name ‘Lilibet’ was a homage to Queen Elizabeth, who herself was called “Lilibet” as a toddler. It was first used by then-Princess Elizabeth because she couldn’t pronounce her own name correctly.
The Queen’s grandfather, King George V, used to call her “Lilibet.” As reported by The Guardian, the name then stuck; she was called Lilibet by the innermost circle of her family, including her late husband, Prince Philip.
Though Harry and Meghan’s newborn daughter is named Lilibet, she will be known as “Lili.”
Lilibet’s godfather
Lilibet is the goddaughter of actor and superstar movie producer Tyler Perry.
Some may find that choice somewhat unexpected, but there is a reasonable explanation for Tyler being Lilibet’s godfather.
In episode six of the Netflix series Harry and Meghan, both Markle and Perry share the history that led to the famous filmmaker becoming such an important person to the family.
Tyler Perry hosted Meghan and Harry upon their arrival in the U.S. The couple had just left Canada and were in the midst of leaving their roles in the royal family.
While in Vancouver Island, they had begun to lose their security teams and had to leave the country. According to Elle, Perry had sent Markle a letter before her marriage to the prince, troubled by the drama that had been shrouding her father, Thomas Markle.
“You know I’m not a royal watcher. I don’t really pay attention to a lot of stuff, but I saw something about her father,” Perry explains in the series.
“I found it to be hurtful if he were my father. And I couldn’t even imagine this woman finding the man that she loved, the man of her dreams and him being a prince, and then to walk into all of that madness and need the security of family and then have, you know, your father do some horrible things.”
“When my life changed and success started to come, family members became different people. And I know how hurtful and how horrible it can be,” Perry continued.
“I immediately empathized with her. This was before the wedding, and I sent her a note, just praying for her to just be able to move through it and hold on, and let her know that everything in her life had prepared her for this moment or so I thought.”
