A young foal based at a Kippen farm has been given the royal seal of approval after sharing the same name as Harry and Meghan’s new arrival.
Aberforth Lady Lilibet, known around the farm as Betty, arrived on May 26 and was given the childhood nickname of the Queen as a tribute to the late Prince Philip.
And little over a week later, that name was to gain more public significance when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to name their second Lilibet Diana Mountbatten Windsor.
Owner Lauren Silverton, 24, who is based at Wester Leckie farm near Kippen, said the name had always been on the radar, although she admits the response since the other Lilibet has come into the world has caught her by surprise.
However, Lauren admitted the name was a quick change of plan - with the initial intention to label the new arrival in tribute to a music icon.
Lauren said: “We’ve always known about the name Lilibet because it’s the Queen’s nickname and it’s the first thing that came to mind when we realised that the new arrival was going to be a filly.
“Her sire is called Northwick Bon Jovi and so had she been a colt then we had planned to name her ‘Aberforth Livin’ on a Prayer’ but we didn’t think that sounded right for a filly.
“We also wanted to keep the tradition of using the letter L from her mother’s side and so Lilibet was a good pick for us.
“When we heard about Harry and Meghan using the name so soon after, we thought they had copied us on the choice!”
It’s not the only royal connection for Lauren, with her mum also running her ‘Barkmoral’ home boarding and dog training business on the Wester Leckie site.
Stirling-born Lauren, whose life in agriculture began when she was born three months early at the Royal Highland Show, told the Observer that the Sussexes’ announcement has also led to more publicity from people eager to find out the story.
Lauren added: “It was exciting to hear the name because everyone was waiting for what the new baby would be called after Archie and we just did a bit of a double take when we found out.
“The name has already been around and attracted some attention and we’ve appeared on the radio to talk about it all
“There has been a lot of interest just because of the novelty of sharing the name.”
.png?w=600)
