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Lilibet: the revision
The BBC news website, like the rest of the UK no doubt, is running stories on the Queen as her anniversary approaches. Today's article focuses on the Queen in fiction, and on how much of what the public thought they knew was mistaken. So, Lilibet!https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220524-the-imaginary-lives-of-the-queen A book called Mrs Queen Takes The Train, by William Kuhn, for instance, "does have fun demolishing the little we think we know: one of her favourite pastimes is correcting biographies of herself. For instance, "Lilibet", her famous nickname, has nothing to do with "Elizabeth". Instead, we're told that it derives from the words "little bit", as in: she could have a little bit of pink-iced cake if she were a good girl. The diminutive "was a tease, really, a pinch, a reminder that it was undignified for a princess to be greedy for cake".
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I'm not A fan
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I find it unlikely, since Lily and its variants have a long history of being used as diminutives of Elizabeth. Lilibet is more plausible as an elaboration of Lily, and/or a childhood nickname / pet name originating from a mispronunciation.

This message was edited 5/29/2022, 2:14 AM

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Is this true? Or satire? I can't tell.It honestly sounds like someone saying "little bit" with a mouth full of hot potatoes.Anyway, it makes the name so much worse.
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So it's now supposed to be just a coincidence that Lilibet sounds just like a small child trying to say Elizabeth? Hmm.
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