Tyler Perry Shares His Cute Nickname for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Daughter Princess Lilibet
Perry, who is Lili's godfather, also spoke about letting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stay at his L.A. home when they moved to California in a new interview
Tyler Perry is a proud godfather to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's daughter!
The filmmaker, 54, appeared on the latest podcast episode of Let's Talk Off-Camera with Kelly Ripa, where he chatted about his close relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as well as their two children: 4-year-old Prince Archie and 2-year-old Princess Lilibet.
Ripa asked about his role as godfather to Princess Lilibet, prompting Perry to reveal his sweet nickname for her: "Little Lili."
"She's so adorable," he said. "Oh, she's so beautiful. She's just so beautiful."
"They make beautiful babies — that's all I'll say," Perry continued. "They make some beautiful kids. Archie and Lili are beautiful."
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Perry first revealed that Meghan, 42, and Prince Harry, 39, asked him to be Lili's godfather on the Netflix series Harry & Meghan which debuted late last year. After Lili was born in June 2021, Perry recalled a phone call with the couple when they "were pretty serious."
"I go, 'Okay, what's going on?' They said, 'Well, we'd like for you to be Lili's godfather.' I go, 'Whoa,' " Perry explained. "I had to take a minute to take that in. And I thought, 'I'd be honored. I'd absolutely be honored.' "
After getting off the call and thinking about the ask, Perry realized his agreement came with a bit of a condition.
"I called them back and go, 'Uh, hold on a second — does this mean we gotta go over [to the U.K.] and do all of that in church with [the royal family] and figure all that out? 'Cause I don't wanna do that,' " he said. " 'Maybe we can do a little private ceremony here [in the U.S.] and let that be that, and if you have to do it there, then that's okay.' "
Earlier this year, Princess Lilibet was christened in a small and intimate ceremony at Harry and Meghan's home in Montecito. An insider told PEOPLE exclusively there were between 20-30 guests at the gathering, including Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, Perry and an unnamed godmother. Following the ceremony, attendees were treated to an afternoon of food and dancing — with Archie enjoying a dance with his little sister!
On the podcast, Perry also spoke about extending a hand to Meghan during her life in the public eye amid her relationship with Prince Harry.
"I got the tremendous sense of how overwhelming it all was for her," Perry said. "I got the sense that — listen, I know what it's like to have a father who is not great, so seeing some of the things he was doing, I felt that she was very much isolated and alone. And I couldn't imagine leaving America — and she had a really, really happy life. She was really happy, and I later found all of that out."
He continued, "But to go into this world of where everything is larger than life — even to this day, it's still larger than life for them where everywhere she goes or whatever she does or she puts on something, it sells out. There are paparazzi in the corners. I wanted to be a safe place — not only for her, but you know, there are many people who don't have a name or are not a part of a royal family who just need somebody to be there for them."
Perry said that despite rumors that Oprah Winfrey introduced them, he actually sent Meghan a note without Oprah's knowledge because they once shared a publicist.
"[The note] just said, 'If you ever need anything, you know, I'm here,' and she called months later and just talked to me like I was that therapist you talk to, and we just had a great conversation," he said. "It's very important for people in this business to have a safe place to land, to have a place where they can trust and talk freely and get advice that's not gonna be biased or from somebody who wants something from them."
Related: Tyler Perry Says Meghan Markle Quietly Shopped for Baby Formula for Family in Need During Shortage
Despite not yet meeting, Meghan and Prince Harry stayed at Perry's home in Los Angeles when they first moved to California in 2020, with the Madea director saying they "hid" and it was "so great."
"Every day that they were there, I looked to see if anything's happening online. Nothing. They don't even know," he explained. "So weeks and weeks they were there. They were so happy. It was such a beautiful moment."
After using the actor and director's estate for their fresh start in the United States, Meghan and Prince Harry purchased a property in Montecito. Perry even welcomed them to their new abode with a grand piano as a housewarming gift, telling them, "Write the soundtrack for your life," according to Meghan's 2022 interview with The Cut.
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Last year, Perry wished Meghan a happy birthday with a heartfelt post on Instagram.
"I've had a front row seat in your life for the past few years. I've watched you endure things that would have broken a lot of people," Perry wrote. "I'm so incredibly proud to see how happy you, your husband, and your kids are now. It fills me with joy to say Happy Birthday Princess Meghan."
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