What to Know
Most — if not all — new parents put a lot of thought behind what baby name they choose when welcoming a new little one into the family, but it’s hard to imagine that any naming process is more intense than what the royal family must go through when a new baby is born. After all, Kate Middleton and Prince William knew that they weren’t just naming their son or daughter; they’re naming a potential future king or queen. And according to new intel, it sounds like Princess Charlotte’s name has even more meaning behind it than people originally thought.
Princess Charlotte arrived on May 2, 2015.
As Will and Kate’s very first daughter, of course her arrival was a big deal, and many people were curious about what name they would choose for their baby girl, with many assuming that Will would name her after his late mother.
Ultimately, they announced that her name was Charlotte Elizabeth Diana — paying tribute to both Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana — and according to what royal reporter Russell Myers wrote in his new book William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story, Diana was the first piece of the name puzzle that the couple put together before their baby’s arrival.
“William had privately voiced his preference for having a girl, and was keen to incorporate a tribute to his late mother, most likely in the form of a middle name,” he wrote in his book, via Radar Online.
As for her first name? Kate was sold on Alexandra, one of Elizabeth’s middle names, but obviously, they decided to go in another direction. It’s hard to imagine her as anyone but Charlotte anyway!
Prince Harry would end up following in Will’s footsteps on that one.
When the time came for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to name their second daughter, a baby girl, they decided to go the same route as Will and Kate and name her in a way that honored both of the important women in the royals’ lives.
They named her Lilibet Diana (with Lilibet being Elizabeth’s nickname), as Meghan and Harry confirmed in a statement at the time: “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”
George’s name was a bit more of a challenge for Will and Kate.
In his book, Myers also wrote that the process of naming Prince George was a bit of a challenge for his parents. Can anyone imagine the pressure that comes with naming the future king of England?
At the time, they didn’t know whether George would be a boy or a girl before his birth, so they reportedly spent a lot of time talking about baby names while going through a book, with William cracking jokes about the names he found most ridiculous (which, according to Myers, included Rodney and Graham).
“They often ended up in fits of laughter after one or the other had presented a more left-field suggestion,” he wrote.
