Does your name have a special story behind it? Many people have names that honor older family members. Others have names that reflect special ideals (like Hope or Mercy). In some cases, people are named after special in-jokes; in the classic sitcom Blossom, the titular character’s best friend is named Six. Why? Because that’s how many beers her dad drank before he ended up conceiving her!
As you can tell, plenty of people worry about what to name their children. After all, those kids will be stuck with that name for the rest of their lives! But nobody has to worry about naming more than the Royal Family. That’s because as soon as a royal is born, they instantly become a household name. A name that will be plastered on tabloid headlines around the world! With that being said, Prince William and Kate Middleton were very selective about naming their three children. Just how did this royal power couple come up with names for their kiddos? Keep reading to find out!
How do royal names work, exactly?
Before we dive into the story behind the names of William and Kate’s children, we need to answer the big question: how do Royal Family names work, anyway? As you may know, royals don’t really use surnames, which is one reason they are mostly referred to by first name (like Prince William and Prince Harry). Nonetheless, each royal has several different names. That includes William and Kate’s children, which we get into below.
If a royal has to provide some kind of last name (like, say, for school paperwork), they might use a territorial name like Sussex or a hyphenated house name, like Mountbatten-Windsor. As for all those extra names, royals are given multiple names at birth that are usually intended to honor older family members. They can either use one of those names or choose a completely different one when one of them ascends to the throne.
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Prince George
Prince George is the oldest of William and Kate’s children, which means that he’ll one day rule as the King of England. Honestly, that’s a lot of responsibility to get handed at a young age. While it’s nice to be born into a life of wealth and celebrity, it’s wild to know that your future is set in stone before you are even born. Fortunately, George has risen to the challenge, and by all reports, he has the kindness, confidence, and temperament you’d want in a future king.
So, where did all those names come from? The “George” part honors King George VI, Queen Elizabeth’s own father. Speaking of the Queen, “Alexander” is actually her own middle name. Finally, “Louis” is the fourth name of Prince William. With this name, William and Kate managed to honor the Queen and years of royal tradition, all while giving George an identity unique into himself.
Princess Charlotte
Prince Charlotte is the third and final child of William and Kate. If she had been the firstborn, she would have been destined to be queen, as her parents successfully challenged the old rule that typically passed the crown to male heirs whenever possible. However, Charlotte doesn’t seem to have any regrets about being so far from the throne. It gives her more time to focus on the important things in life, like becoming one of the youngest fashion trendsetters in the world.
When she was born, her full name was Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. What’s the story behind these different names? “Charlotte” is the feminine version of “Charles,” so her first name helps to honor her grandfather, King Charles. The other two names are a bit more obvious: “Elizabeth” honors Queen Elizabeth, and this may be part of why Charlotte was her favorite grandchild. Finally, “Diana” honors someone the Queen didn’t like as much: Princess Diana, William’s mother.
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Prince Louis
Prince Louis is William and Kate’s second son. That makes him a bit like Prince Harry: someone who is very close to the throne but who will never sit on it. He’s also a bit like Harry in that he often fascinates the paparazzi with his unexpected antics. Of course, those paparazzi usually refer to him simply as Prince Louis. When he was born, however, this young man was given a much fuller name: Prince Louis Arthur Charles.
So, the obvious question: where do these very different names come from? “Louis” is part of his father’s full name (William Arthur Philip Louis). That’s also where he gets the “Arthur” name from. Additionally, Charles’ full name is Charles Philip Arthur George, so “Arthur” honors him, too. Throw in the fact that his first name also honors Lord Louis Mountbatten (tragically slain in a 1979 bombing), and George has a name with decades of family history behind it!