When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Decided to Name Their Daughter Lilibet
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s second child was famously named after Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Little Lilibet was born in June of 2021 and has the Queen’s childhood nickname, which is usually shortened to Lili. It turns out the Duke and Duchess of Sussex picked that name months before her arrival.
The royal couple has been going over the timeline of their life together in their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, and in the last batch of episodes they shared a private photo of Lili sleeping in her crib and wearing a onesie with the words “Petite Lili” stitched across the front.
The embroidered piece was created by artisan Sabrina Brian, according to Hello!, who interviewed her about her work. Brian sells the pieces through her her Etsy shop and said she got the order a month before Lili’s birth.
“The order was placed in May of 2021,” she said. “There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary I remember about the order besides thinking it was a cute embroidery and I was very pleased with how it turned out.”
Until the episode, Brian had no idea it was for the Sussexes. Her sister excitedly sent her a text after seeing the picture and recognizing her handiwork.
“She explained it said ‘petite lili.’ It immediately sounded like a familiar name I had embroidered so I searched my previous orders and found that I had indeed made it!” Brian explained. “She sent me a screenshot and I was stunned. I called my mom and told her because I knew she’d freak out with me.”
Brian is based in Salt Lake City and a stay-at-home mom of two, with her Etsy business on the side.
“I am definitely overwhelmed and excited by the fact that millions of people have seen something I have created,” she said. “I absolutely love doing it and feel so grateful that other people love and appreciate it.”
She continued, “I definitely knew of Meghan and Harry prior to this week so when I found out their baby has worn something that I have made, it is truly mind-blowing.”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
