Prince Harry reportedly told the Queen baby Lilibet would be named after her

Prince Harry and Meghan are said to have told the Queen what they would name their baby girl. Photo / Getty Images

Prince Harry told his grandmother the Queen that he and Meghan would name their daughter after her - but palace officials were still in the dark about the birth announcement, it's been revealed.

Sources confirmed Buckingham Palace officials found out about the birth of Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor at the same time as the rest of the world, reports The Sun.

The Times reported that the Queen was told her great-granddaughter was going to be named after her, but it's unclear whether she knew Meghan had given birth before the public did.

An hour and a half after Meghan and Harry's announcement, the royal family released a statement congratulating them on the news.

The Palace refused to discuss when the Queen was told her newest great-grandchild had arrived, or whether she was told about the name they had chosen before announcing it.

Royal writer Phil Dampier told the Sun, "Lilibet is such a personal name to the Queen you would hope they gave the palace the heads-up.

"I suspect Harry and Meghan have realised they've overdone their criticism in recent months and the penny has dropped that they've caused deep hurt to Harry's gran and other family members."

Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the birth of Lilibet Diana! The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted with the news.

Lilibet is Her Majesty’s 11th great-grandchild. pic.twitter.com/dGVeRpd3pK

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 6, 2021

Dampier went on to say that Harry and Meghan might be trying to "undo some of the damage" by choosing the name in honour of Harry's grandmother.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor now shares the special nickname which Prince Philip called Elizabeth for over 70 years, while her middle name is a tribute to Harry and William's mum.

Another royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun, "I hope the obvious tribute to the queen is the dawn of an era of reconciliation and healing."

Meghan, 39, gave birth to Lilibet at 11.40am local time on Friday at a hospital 10 minutes' drive from the couple's family home in Montecito, California. She weighed in at just over 3kg.