Harry and Meghan told Queen in advance about daughter's name; but kept palace 'in the dark'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are seemingly trying to repair their relations with the rest of the British royal family by naming their daughter after Queen Elizabeth II, but they have no plans to resolve their conflict with Buckingham Palace.

The royal couple, who previously stressed in their interview with Oprah Winfrey that there is a huge difference between the royal family and the institution that handles the monarchy, blindsided the top aides this time while paying a tribute to the family. According to a report in The Times, they informed the Queen beforehand that her 11th great-grandchild is being named after her, but kept Buckingham Palace out of the loop.

Sources suggest that top aides were "kept in dark" about the birth announcement as well, and found out about it along with the rest of the world. The Sussexes announced their baby's arrival through a statement on their charity Achewell's website on June 6, two days after her birth.

Mail Online also reported that the Palace appeared to be caught off guard by the timing of the Sussexes' news, as they issued a statement congratulating the couple and expressing the family's happiness around 90 minutes after their announcement.

The palace has declined to discuss if the Queen herself knew about the birth before them, or whether she was advised on Lili's name.

Royal author Phil Dampier told The Sun about the move: "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," he added, noting that the couple might be trying to undo some of the damage they have caused to the royal family.

Meanwhile, Meghan's estranged father Thomas Markle also found out about the news with the rest of the world. The lighting director, who hasn't even met his son-in-law Prince Harry or grandson Archie, spoke to The Sun about the arrival of his granddaughter.

"I'm very pleased that my daughter and my new granddaughter had a successful delivery. I wish them all my love and the best of luck," he told the outlet.