Latest news with #Elizabeth:AnIntimatePortrait
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Meghan Markle shares pointed advice for parents on naming babies after 'row'
On the last episode in the series of her podcast, Meghan Markle talked about the pressure of naming a business - and ended up issuing advice to parents on naming the children, years after a row over one of her children's names Meghan Markle has shared pointed advice for parents when it comes to naming their babies. In the final episode of her podcast series, Confessions Of A Female Founder, the Duchess of Sussex described the difficulties of trying to start a successful company while caring for young children. She made the comments while expressing her admiration for podcast guest Sara Blakely, founder of the shapewear clothing company Spanx and a mother of four. During the chat, the pair discussed the pressure of choosing a name for their business, with Meghan opting for the name As Ever for her lifestyle brand. And she shared her own advice for those expecting children when it comes to names saying "Don't ask anyone's opinion". Meghan talked about the pressure to get "everyone's approval" for a brand name and added: "You're like, 'What do you think?" And she added: "It's no different — I will say this to every woman in the world or every person in the world who's going to have a child — if you have an idea about what you are going to 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." Prince Harry and Meghan, of course, chose the names Archie and Lilibet for their children, with their daughter's name, a tribute to the late Queen, raising eyebrows at the time. The name Lilibet was first used when Harry's late grandmother was just a toddler and unable to pronounce her own name, Elizabeth, properly. Her grandfather King George V would affectionately call her Lilibet imitating her own attempts to say Elizabeth. The sweet nickname stuck, and she became Lilibet to her family from then on. When Harry and Meghan's daughter was born almost four years ago, a spokesperson for the couple insisted that the duke spoke to his grandmother in advance and would not have used the name had the monarch not been supportive. However, a palace source told the BBC that the couple had asked the late Queen about the naming of their daughter. Later, in a biography of King Charles, respected royal author Robert Hardman claimed that the late Queen was "as angry as I'd ever seen her" after the Sussexes said they had her blessing to call their daughter Lilibet. However, in his book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, fellow royal writer Gyles Brandreth writes: "According to the Queen, Harry told her the Sussexes wanted to call the baby 'Lilibet' in her honour, and she accepted their choice with good grace, taking it as the compliment it was intended to be. "Others in the family found the choice 'bewildering' and 'rather presumptuous', given that 'Lilibet' as a name had always been intimately and exclusively the Queen's. Later, the Queen said: 'I hear they're calling her Lili, which is very pretty and seems just right.'" When it comes to their son, the Sussexes reportedly chose the name because, according to the sympathetic Finding Freedom biography of the pair, they wanted "something traditional, a name that was powerful even without a title in front of it." His middle name is Harrison, a tribute to Harry as it means 'son of Henry' or 'son of Harry.' Lilibet's middle name is Diana, in tribute to her late grandmother, Princess Diana.
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Meghan Markle's 'curt reaction' to having Sophie as personal mentor
When Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, the late Queen Elizabeth II was keen for Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, to act as her mentor, a book claims - but it seems things didn't go quite to plan The Duchess of Edinburgh is often regarded as the Royal Family's 'secret weapon' and a hard-working member of the Firm who is a safe pair of hands. But it seems it wasn't always the case. Sophie, the wife of the late Queen's youngest son Prince Edward, has previously been honest about how it "took her a while to find her feet" when she became a full-time member of the working monarchy after leaving behind her successful career in PR. But more more than 25 years since she became a royal, she has carved out a role highlighting causes such as violence against women and sightloss. So when it was announced that actress Meghan Markle would be marrying Sophie's nephew, Prince Harry, it seemed natural that the late Queen suggested the then Countess of Wessex could mentor the royal newcomer. However, as claimed by Gyles Brandreth in his book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, Meghan "made it clear" she didn't need Sophie's help and would instead rely on her new husband. The Duchess of Sussex quit her acting career upon marrying Harry in 2018 and pledged to "hit the ground running" on becoming a working royal. Author Brandreth, who is a friend of the royals, wrote: "The Queen (who, of course, had seen it all before) understood that Harry's girl might find adjusting to Royal life 'challenging to begin with' (as she put it). 'It is very jolty, but you soon get used to it' . That was Her Majesty's experience going back many years. "To help Meghan, the Queen suggested that her daughter-in-law, Sophie Wessex, would be an ideal mentor. 'Sophie can help show you the ropes,' said the Queen. "Meghan made it clear that she did not feel she needed Sophie's help. She had Harry." Meghan and Sophie's bond came under focus in September when they travelled together in the same car during the Queen's state funeral and her coffin procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in 2022. Sophie, who grew up in a middle-class family and founded a PR firm before joining the Royal Family, has been compared with Meghan, as they both underwent a huge transition upon joining the family. The former monarch also invited Sophie to several church services, and they enjoyed watching old movies together. Her late Majesty was also extremely close to Sophie's children, her youngest grandchildren - Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex. According to The Times, Sophie was the first member of the royal family to visit the Sussexes following the birth of Archie in 2019, going to the couple's Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. In a rare interview with The Sunday Times, Sophie compared her experiences to Meghan's. Speaking to the paper, she compared Meghan and Harry's experience to hers with Edward, commenting: "Remember I'd had five years to adjust [to royal life]. And for our six-month engagement, I was even staying at Buckingham Palace. Not that you necessarily know how it will pan out." Speaking about the Sussexes' exit from the firm, she added, "I just hope they will be happy." But possibly more pointedly, she said that the royal family does all they can to assist new members in adjusting to royal life, adding, "We all try to help any new members of the family."
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prince Philip Was "Quite Ready to Die" But Queen Elizabeth Was Left With a "Huge Void"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021, and according to a royal expert, Queen Elizabeth's husband was "ready to die." The Queen, however, was reportedly struck by the "huge void" left by her husband after he passed. Giles Brandreth, a royal biographer and close friend of the Royal Family, wrote about Prince Philip's death in the book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait. According to Brandreth, Prince Philip told him (via the Daily Mail), "Death is part of got to face it. You've got to accept it—with a good grace." Philip continued, "When you get to my age, there's a lot of it about." Brandreth also revealed that Prince Philip—who was 99 years old at the time of his death—had prepared himself for death, and didn't seem at all scared of the prospect. "I'm quite ready to die," Prince Philip told the biographer. "It's what happens—sooner or later. I certainly don't want to hang on until I am 100, like Queen Elizabeth [the Queen Mother]. I can't imagine anything worse." He continued, "I have absolutely no desire to cling on to life unnecessarily. Ghastly prospect." View Deal Prince Philip's death must have been incredibly difficult for his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, to deal with. Their son, Prince Andrew, explained soon after Philip's death (via CNN), "The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person." He continued, "She described it as having left a huge void in her life but we, the family, the ones that are close, are rallying round to make sure that we're there to support her." Brandreth also revealed that Queen Elizabeth sadly wasn't with her husband when he died. "The Queen was reported to have been at her husband's bedside when he died on the morning of April 9, 2021," the author wrote (via the Mirror). "In fact, I don't believe she was." Brandreth explained, "The Duke of Edinburgh had been in a hospital bed, set up in his dressing room at Windsor Castle. That morning, he went to the bathroom, helped by a nurse." Upon returning, Philip "felt a little faint and wanted help getting back into bed," the author wrote. "The nurse called the Duke's valet and the Queen's page, Paul Whybrew, for help—and he died before the Queen could be called."
