When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared the joyous news that they had welcomed a baby girl into the world back on 4 June 2021, the regal couple's choice of name for their newborn sparked a discussion about an interesting royal tidbit that had previously rarely been spoken about.
Naming their second child Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed the touching meaning behind their first daughter's name.
“Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty the Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet,” a statement said. “Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her beloved late grandmother, the Princess of Wales.”
While Diana may sadly no longer be with us, it seems the late mother-of-two has another connection to her granddaughter's title, in addition to her middle name paying tribute to her.
In a new documentary, aired on ITV on Thursday night, it has been claimed that Diana would refer to her future mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II by her intimate nickname - years before she married into the royal family.
"Lady Diana was born into a world of large country houses, set in rural estates," viewers heard an off-camera narrator say, as they discussed the ex-wife of Prince Charles and her upbringing.
"She grew up in Park House, practically next door to the Queen, who she called Aunt Lilibet," they went on to reveal.
The monarch's sentimental nickname goes back to when the Queen was too young to be able to pronounce her own name, calling herself "Lilibet" instead.
Catching on, her family soon adopted her chosen moniker too, with her father, George VI, once quoted as saying: "Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy."
Elsewhere in the new Diana documentary, family friends and former neighbours of the People's Princess opened up about her early years - with one claiming she had her heart set on a big wedding from a young age.
In the first episode of the series, an electrician who was at the wedding of one of Diana's elder sisters revealed an interesting conversation he had with the then-teenager.
Recalling the moment Diana attended her sibling's special day, he said the late Princess said to him: "Nothing like this for me, Ray. It’s Westminster Abbey or nothing."
While her teenage dream didn't true exactly, Diana did go on to marry the future King of England, Prince Charles in a fairytale wedding on Wednesday 29 July 1981.
The couple's bid day shunned the usual royal tradition of tying the knot at Westminster Abbey, instead becoming husband and wife St Paul's Cathedral due to the venue offering more seating for their many guests.
The world were gripped by the romance of the heir to throne and his 20-year-old bride, with events held around the Commonwealth the mark the "wedding of the century."
It was estimated that over 750 million people tuned in to watch Diana walk down the aisle in her iconic dress and marry the eldest son of the reigning Queen.
