5 May 2015

UK: HRH Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge

The news that the newborn daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana (and to be known as HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge) seems to have been received well.

The name Charlotte has deep roots in British royal history, with Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), wife of King George III (1738-1820), and Princess Charlotte (1796-1817), who in 1816 married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (who in 1831 became King of the Belgians), as two of many examples. Many has also pointed out that Charlotte is the feminine form of Charles, so even if one cannot know for certain the motivation behind the chosen names, it is easy to conclude that the baby has been named after her grandfather the Prince of Wales. In addition, the mother of the Duchess of Cambridge has the name Carole, which is one of several variations of Charlotte. And finally, the duchess' sister is named Philippa Charlotte.

The second name Elizabeth is also rather obvious, as the baby's great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II wears that name. Not to mention the baby's great-great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, née Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002). As mentioned in my previous article, the Duchess of Cambridge's mother has Elizabeth as her second given name. And finally Diana, named after the late Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), mother of the Duke of Cambridge.

On Buckingham Palace's official Facebook page The British Monarchy, one could today read that "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have formally registered the birth of Princess Charlotte. The Duke of Cambridge signed the birth register at Kensington Palace this afternoon, witnessed by a Registrar from Westminster Register Office."

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