Meghan Markle Critic Says Couple Should Have Called Baby 'Georgina Floydina'

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's daughter was at the center of a debate about racism, after a prominent U.K. columnist said she should be named "Georgina Floydina."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced on Sunday their baby is called Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.

The choice was a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, whose royal family nickname is Lilibet, and Prince Harry's late mother Princess Diana, a spokesperson said.

However, within 45 minutes of the announcement, Daily Telegraph writer Julie Burchill sparked a racism backlash with a post on Twitter.

She wrote: "What a missed opportunity. They could have called it Georgina Floydina!"

She then suggested the newborn's first words might be "Free Palestine."

Markle sparked global headlines a year to the day before Lili was born, after declaring "George Floyd's life mattered" in a speech to graduating students of her former school, Immaculate Heart.

The intervention came days after Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, with footage of the killing going viral on social media.

On June 4, 2020, Markle said: "I wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous that I wouldn't or that it would get picked apart and I realized the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing.

"Because, George Floyd's life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile's life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we do not know.

"Stephon Clark, his life mattered."

Burchill was quickly condemned on Twitter yesterday, including by prominent U.K. racial equality activist Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu.

She wrote: "Archie was compared to a Chimpanzee at birth.

"Lilibet, at birth, is used to poke fun at racial killing of #GeorgeFloyd.

"This is Racist. She's referred to as 'IT'.

"The utter disrespect & dehumanisation of #HarryandMeghan children because of their proximity to 'Blackness' is Racist."

Lilibet, who the couple are nicknaming Lili, was born at 11.40 a.m. local time on Friday, June 4, in Santa Barbara, California, but Meghan and Harry kept the birth secret until June 6.

The royals reacted warmly to the new arrival with a statement on the Royal Family Twitter feed reading: "The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted with the news."

However, Burchill's post quickly triggered a familiar debate about whether commentary from some quarters in Britain is racist.

Actress Kelechi Okafor wrote on Twitter: "What a nasty thing to say about a newborn baby.

"Archie had the same treatment when he was born and likened to a chimpanzee.

"Brits swear they're not racist but things like this keep happening??

"Likening baby Lilibet to George Floyd is to hone in on the fact she isn't fully white. The same people will pretend they never considered Meghan to be Black and thus their unexplainable hatred of her has nothing to do with race."

She added: "She refers to Lilbet as 'it' even though it has been announced that the baby is a girl and she could've addressed her as such.

"Disgusting scenes."

Burchill later added: "I called the baby IT as a nod to non-binary b******* - and if you think you can make me respect a violent criminal who once held a gun to a pregnant woman's stomach, you're in for a VERY long wait.

"Have a good time with your pearl-clutching life-wasting woo-woo, ya clowns!"

Burchill's book, Welcome To The Woke Trials: How #Identity Killed Progressive Politics, was canceled by her original publisher, Little, Brown, in December 2020 over comments she made about Islam.

Managing director Charlie King said they were "not defensible from a moral or intellectual standpoint," though Edinburgh-based independent Stirling Publishing is now publishing the book.

The couple's Archewell website encourages donations to a series of feminist organizations, rather than gifts.

A message states: "For those inquiring on sending gifts, we would ask that you support or learn more about these organizations working for women and girls: Girls Inc., Harvest Home, CAMFED or Myna Mahila Foundation."