Why do so many royals have not one middle name, but two,
or even three? And what special significance do those names hold?
The well-known future ruler, Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary II, was born on April 21,
1926. While her parents decided to name her after her mother, her first middle name,
Alexandra, was meant to honor another royal, Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
Queen Elizabeth II's grandfather, Edward VII, married Princess Alexandra in 1863,
and together the couple had six children — so the title clearly holds a special meaning. Princess
Alexandra unexpectedly died of a heart attack just a year before Queen Elizabeth II was born.
As for the late monarch's second middle name, Mary, this title is believed to be an homage
to Queen Elizabeth II's father's mother, Mary of Teck. Additionally,
the late queen's nickname Lilibet. reportedly held a distinct connotation and means "God's promise."
"Tea?"
"Oh, yes please!"
While Prince William, Prince of Wales, has spent his entire life in the spotlight
thanks to his royal roots, plenty of fans of the prince are dying to know
the special meaning behind his middle names. Prince William was born His Royal Highness
Prince William Arthur Philip Louis on June 21, 1982. Like other royal family members,
the Prince of Wales had no last name listed on his birth certificate. Still,
Prince William has been known to use the last name Wales and Mountbatten-Windsor.
So just what is the special meaning behind the names Arthur, Philip, and Louis? According to
Express, the prince's first middle name, Arthur, was reportedly chosen by King Charles III.
He is said to have selected the moniker due to its association with King Arthur.
As for Philip, his name is meant to be a heartfelt tribute to the king's father,
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Finally, the name Louis is believed to have been meant
to honor the king's paternal uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, who died in an IRA attack in 1979.
"The challenge for me is how do I make the royal family relevant in the next 20 years time."
Royal family member Princess Eugenie was born to Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson on March 23,
1990. While plenty of fans were excited about the birth of the little royal,
one of the biggest shocks happened on March 30, 1990, when the princess'
parents officially announced the newborn's full name. According to Good Housekeeping,
the public was reportedly stunned by the name Eugenie, simply because out of thousands of bets
taken on what the Duke and Duchess of York would pick, no one had predicted that choice. Still,
the princess' full name, Eugenie Victoria Helena, is full of significance. The name
Eugenie means "nobility" and "excellence" in connection to the ancient Greek word "Eugenia."
In addition, her first name is a tribute to Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg,
who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and the daughter of Princess Beatrice of
the U.K. Princess Eugenie's namesake also became the Queen of Spain after she married
King Alfonso XIII. As for the princess' middle names, the outlet stated that both have ties
to the Victorian era. For instance, Princess Eugenie's first middle name Victoria is meant
to honor Queen Victoria. It is also noted that the moniker means "victory" in Latin.
The princess' second middle name, Helena, is meant to pay tribute to Queen Victoria's third daughter,
Princess Helena of the U.K. In Greek, the name Helena means "light" or "bright."
"It was love at first sight, that's why."
The Prince and Princess of Wales' eldest royal child, Prince George,
was born on July 22, 2013. The name George has strong roots throughout royal history,
including King George V, who founded the House of Windsor in 1917, as well as the late queen's own
father, King George VI. As for the prince's first middle name, Alexander, that moniker
honors Queen Elizabeth II by using the male version of her first middle name, Alexandra.
Prince George's second middle name, Louis, honors his father, Prince William.
The moniker also pays tribute to Lord Louis Mountbatten. Still, according to Yahoo! Life,
Princess Catherine didn't have the easiest time picking her children's names. Amy Stubbs,
the deputy director of midwifery, revealed that Middleton had confided in her and stated that
she'd felt plenty of pressure when choosing the names. As a result, Stubbs commented
that the Prince and Princess of Wales ultimately decided to go for the monikers they liked best.
"Hello David Attenborough, what animal do you think will become extinct next?"
After the Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed their second child,
everyone was eager to know what the proud parents had decided to name their royal
bundle of joy. So what are the special meanings behind the princess' names?
Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana has monikers that honor her family.
While Princess Charlotte's first name pays tribute to her grandfather, the king,
her first middle name, Elizabeth, pays homage to the late queen. As for her second middle name,
Diana, it's unmistakably a tribute to Prince William's late mother. Simone Simmons,
a close friend of the late princess, stated,
The Prince and Princess of Wales didn't keep royal fans waiting too long before
officially announcing the name of their third child. Just five days after his birth,
Prince William and Kate Middleton's official Twitter account revealed
the newborn's title to the world: Louis Arthur Charles. The prince's first name
was considered surprising and not one of the leading choices among speculators.
Still, despite coming as a shock, Prince Louis's full name holds special significance.
As mentioned previously, King Charles III's great-uncle Lord Mountbatten was called Louis,
and the name has appeared more than a few times throughout the royal family tree.
Prince Louis' first middle name, Arthur, has a much more obvious significance.
According to Harper's Bazaar, the name Arthur was previously considered a top choice among
people placing bets on what the prince's first name would be. Likewise, the name
Arthur has clear connections to the legendary King Arthur and ties to the royal family.
The moniker, which means "bear" in Celtic, is not only one of Prince William's middle names,
but is also one of the middle names of his father, King Charles III.
The prince's second middle name, Charles, also celebrates King Charles.
"Thank you."
When it comes to royal family members with poignant names, Queen Elizabeth II's only
daughter, Princess Anne, cannot be forgotten. Princess Anne, also known as Princess Royal,
is the second child of the late queen and Prince Philip. Not only is she the first
member of the British royal family to compete in the Olympics, but she also married her former
equestrian teammate, Captain Mark Phillips. The pair had two children, Peter and Zara.
However, the couple later divorced, and the princess went on to remarry.
Princess Anne was born on August 15, 1950, just a year and a half before Elizabeth became the
U.K.'s ruling monarch. As a baby, she was christened as Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise.
The late ruler chose to give her only daughter one of her middle names,
in keeping with royal tradition. Princess Anne and her mother were very close,
and the princess was even at her mother's bedside during her passing. Princess Anne's
second middle name, Alice, is likely a tribute to the late Prince Philip's mother,
the former Princess Alice of Battenberg, who later became the Princess of Greece and Denmark.
She was also Anne's godmother. As for the name Louise, it's believed that this moniker is meant
to honor the queen's grandmother, Queen Mary, as Louise was one of her names as well.