Princess Eugenie has revealed the name of her third child, born in Portugal on August 3: Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank. The 36-year-old princess said the name honours three people she and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, “love and admire, past and present.” The name Adelaide carries both British and Portuguese significance, with reports linking it to Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV, and Maria Adelaide of Portugal. Elizabeth honours Eugenie’s late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

It is another example of the late Queen’s descendants choosing to keep her name alive through the next generation, something members of the royal family have done repeatedly and generally without comparable controversy.

Which raises an obvious question: now that another of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren has named a daughter after her, will the media frame it as a loving family gesture, or will they subject it to the same scrutiny they applied when Prince Harry and Meghan Sussex named their daughter Lilibet?

What makes the Lilibet coverage worth revisiting is how quickly the media turned a family naming decision into a dispute over permission and propriety. The BBC cited an anonymous palace source who claimed Harry and Meghan had not asked the Queen about using Lilibet. The Sussexes denied that account and said Harry had spoken to his grandmother before the announcement and would not have used the name without her support.

Daily Mail front page from January 2024 reporting claims that Queen Elizabeth was angry over Harry and Meghan naming their daughter Lilibet.
The Times article reporting that Prince Harry and Meghan disputed a BBC report about whether Queen Elizabeth approved the name Lilibet.
CNN social media post reporting that Prince Harry and Meghan denied claims they failed to ask Queen Elizabeth II about naming their daughter Lilibet.
BBC News X post from June 2021 reporting a palace source’s claim that Harry and Meghan did not ask the Queen to use the name Lilibet, while noting the couple disputed that account.
Mirror Royal X post from June 2021 reporting an author’s claim that Prince Harry ignored “common courtesy” with Queen Elizabeth over naming his daughter Lilibet.

The debate then shifted to whether Lilibet was “too personal” because it was the Queen’s childhood nickname rather than her given name. Critics questioned whether Harry and Meghan had overstepped, ignored “common courtesy” or broken royal convention. A private tribute became another test of their motives and behaviour.

Final Thoughts

Harry’s connection to his grandmother and mother does not become less legitimate because he stepped back from royal duties or because he married Meghan. Those relationships are part of his family history, and his children are part of that same lineage. Yet coverage of the Sussexes often treats those connections as though they require justification every time they become visible.

Eugenie’s announcement now offers a useful comparison point. Princess Eugenie has now added her daughter to the long list of royal children who carry Queen Elizabeth’s name.

Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice and Lady Louise all carry Elizabeth in their names. The Queen’s great-granddaughters Princess Charlotte, Isla Phillips, Lena Tindall, Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Lilibet Diana also carry either Elizabeth or the Queen’s family nickname, Lilibet. Adelaide Elizabeth Annina now joins that tradition.

The issue is not that Eugenie deserves criticism. She does not. The media should instead examine why Harry and Meghan faced such disproportionate suspicion for making their own deeply personal choice to honour the Queen.

Discover more from Feminegra

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.