Princess Charlotte's name bears special meaning. Photo / The Princess of Wales
Princess Charlotte's name bears special meaning. Photo / The Princess of Wales
Eight years ago today, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana was born to William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Today, as the family share new portraits to celebrate their second child and only daughter’s birthday, the heartfelt reason behind her name is also being discussed.
Elizabeth: For her great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Diana: For her grandmother and William’s mother, Princess Diana, who tragically never got to meet her little granddaughter.
When William and Catherine announced their daughter’s name two days after her arrival, the Palace said:“The baby will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.”
Princess Charlotte celebrates her eighth birthday. Photo / Instagram
The name came as little surprise to bookmakers who had Charlotte picked as a favourite for a new royal girl. The other name high on their list was Alice.
However, it is more common for royal names to chosen from a pool of ancestral monikers.
In addition to the tie to King Charles, Charlotte was also the name of King George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte, in the 18th century.
The Daily Mail also suggests the name could bear significance for Charlotte’s mother’s family too. Her aunt, Pippa Middleton’s middle name is also Charlotte.
Soon after Princess Charlotte’s full name was announced, royal aides told MailOnline her second names would “speak for themselves”.
In Princess Charlotte’s Elizabeth, while there is undoubted reference to her great-grandmother, her maternal grandmother, Carole Middleton also bears the middle name Elizabeth. And Middleton’s own grandmother was also an Elizabeth.
Princess Charlotte was visibly upset at her great-grandmother's funeral last year in September. Photo / AP
What’s more, Elizabeth is also the middle name of Princess Charlotte’s cousins Lady Louise and Princess Beatrice, and her great aunt, Princess Anne.
The Princess’ final middle name, Diana, was held out as a popular choice for a first name by many. But according to the Daily Mail, one of the late Princess’ long-time friends said: “It would have been a millstone around her neck”.
Mere minutes after Diana was announced as a second name for Princess Charlotte, Diana’s closest friend Rosa Monckton tweeted: “Diana’s spirit lives on in her sons, and now her name lives on in her granddaughter #CharlotteElizabethDiana.”
Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Charles Spencer, was also quick to commend the choice. He wrote on Twitter: “Perfect names. My 2-year-old Charlotte Diana will be thrilled at cousinly name-sharing.”
