Prince Louis Arthur Charles has been named. I thought we would never get to this point with this tiny little boy. I did a little research as we were waiting and found out that his father has four names: William Arthur Philip Louis. Then I had even more fun by Googling other royals to check out their names. It is pretty spectacular the number of names they are given at birth.
Prince Louis’s older brother and future king is named George Alexander Louis. Of course, my mind thinks of monograms when I see all these names. That would be a glorious entwining of letters, if you included all the names in the design.
Selecting a name for a baby is a great experience. I am sure the protocol surrounding the royals adds even more fun to the mix. So here are some full names of a few of his relatives!
Great-Great-Grandfather: Albert Frederick Arthur George
Great-Grandmother: Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
Grandfather: Prince Charles Philip Arthur George
Uncle Harry: Henry Charles Albert David
Brother: George Alexander Louis
Sister: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana
I remember with great fondness when Charles and Diana married, and she got the names mixed up during the vows. She commented later that she thought she married Charles’s father!
Any way you look at it, names matter. Many families, like this one, use the family names to honor other family members. Others, like mine, just pick names they love. My siblings and I have no names from any family member. We have unique first and middle names—just as unique as we are.
So congratulations to the Royal Family on another beautiful baby boy. We will all enjoy watching him grow up through photographs and marveling at the wonderful time he will have with his family.
Comments 11
Thank You for this interesting post. I follow many of the Royals from numerous countries.
Marion
It is interesting how all the royals choose the baby’s names. Every royal has at least three names.
Joan
I am always interested in the Royals,not just the British. I enjoy reading the magazines dedicated to the Royals.
Marilyn
Lesley, your comment was extremely interesting. Thank you for sharing that information.
I read with interest your post about choosing baby names, particularly in the British Royal Family. As a proud Canadian with a passion for all things British, especially our Queen & her family, I would like to give you some information about the inspiring man whom William & Kate have honored in the naming of their sweet new son.
Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten was born in 1900 & died in 1979. He was the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. His sister, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of our Queen, Elizabeth II. During World War II Lord Mountbatten served as Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command. After the war he served as the last Viceroy of India & the first Governor General of independent India. He was a beloved mentor to both his nephew Prince Philip & his great-nephew Prince Charles, the great-grandfather & grandfather respectively, to our youngest royal, Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge. Sadly, Lord Mountbatten was assassinated by the IRA in the summer of 1979 while he & his family were on holiday in Ireland. Lord Mountbatten’s younger daughter, Pamela, was married to celebrated British decorator, David Hicks. India Hicks, a noted author & decorator in her own right is their daughter. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer & Prince Charles in July 1981.
One of the posts above asks about family names for royalty. In the British royal family the name of the dynasty is Windsor. William & Kate are the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge & so their children have the surname Cambridge. It will be interesting to discover what dukedom will be granted to Prince Harry when he & Meghan Markle marry next month. My bet is on Sussex, as there has not been a Duke of Sussex since 1801. Meghan would actually be the first Duchess of Sussex!
What wonderful information! Thanks for sharing.
I love researching royal names as well as their monograms. Their names are quite interesting. Perhaps this is a really dumb question: Do the royals have last names? Just wondering
In 1917 King George V decreed the royal surname would be Windsor. Previously, royals would use only their first names and might add their dynasty or house name. At the beginning of WW I, anti-Germanic sentiments frowned on the present house name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. George V adopted the surname Windsor with its very British sound. Queen Elizabeth II later joined her surname with her husband’s to form Mountbatten-Windsor. The joined names are often shortened today, and Windsor frequently stands alone as the surname of the British Royal Family. (Read the comments above for more information on Mountbatten.) I hope this helps!
I LOVE it! I love ALL things Royal!
Babies are such happy news. Love seeing the beautiful family and hearing the good news.
A fun post!