Prince Harry and Meghan threaten the BBC with lawsuit over the name of the royal baby

Phil Hall, Benzinga Staff Writer

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly considering filing a lawsuit against the BBC for reporting that the royal couple would kill Queen Elizabeth II.

What happened: The BBC quoted an anonymous “palace source” in a story that raised speculation that the couple, officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, had given the baby’s name to the Queen without notice.

Photo by Chris Jackson / Getty Images

“The source denied reports after the name was announced that Prince Harry and Meghan spoke to the queen prior to the birth,” the BBC reported, adding that a spokesman for the couple had denied the allegation.

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“The Duke spoke to his family before the announcement – in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called,” the spokesman said. “During this conversation he shared her hope to name her daughter Lilibet in her honor. If she hadn’t supported them, they wouldn’t have used the name. “

What’s next: The Daily Mail reported that Prince Harry, through his law firm, Schillings, threatened to take legal action against the BBC for allegedly filing a false and defamatory story.

However, the Daily Mail speculated that the Palace source cited by the BBC might be a senior official, adding that it would be “considered almost unprecedented for the monarch not to sign quotes from senior officials, even if they were anonymous briefings ”.

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The royal couple were very critical of the UK media, citing their coverage as one of the main reasons they left their royal duties and moved to the US, where they pursued business opportunities with companies, including NetflixNFLX 0.38% and Apple Inc.AAPL 0.74%.

Photo by Chris Jackson / Getty Images

Baby Lilibet was born on Sunday in Santa Barbara, California. This was a rare occasion when a member of the royal family was born outside of the UK

UK libel laws are much stricter compared to US laws. Last month, Prince Harry caused criticism in an interview when he asked why the US was not complying with legal mandates across the Atlantic.

“I think we are now living in an age where certain elements of the media are redefining the meaning of privacy,” he said. “I want to say as much about the First Amendment as I understand it, but it’s insane.”

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.