Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana's name is more than just a mouthful.
It's also a gesture of respect to past members of the royal family.
Right before the Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed their second child in 2015,
the world was abuzz with speculation about what her name might be.
Most folks in the United Kingdom guessed Prince William and Kate Middleton would
call her Alice or Charlotte. Other top predictions for the new royal's
name included Olivia, Victoria, Elizabeth, Alexandra and Diana.
Two days after the birth of their daughter,
the royal couple released a statement that said, in part,
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have
named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. The baby will
be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge."
Charlotte Elizabeth Diana is of course now known as Charlotte Princess of Wales
following the Queen's funeral and her grandfather becoming monarch.
As the Princess of Wales admitted during an October 2022 visit to Royal Surrey County
Hospital, naming her second born child was not as easy as fans may have believed.
Amy Stubbs, a deputy director of midwifery to whom Kate Middleton
confided, told People about the names of her kids,
"She said they were their favorite names and that obviously the world was waiting
for them to name their children — and that felt like quite a big pressure!"
The true meaning behind the child's first name is believed to have to do with the now-King,
her grandfather, as Charlotte is the feminine version of Charles.
However, the name Charlotte could actually have more significance
beyond paying homage to the current monarch and head of the royal family.
Princess Charlotte's name may also honor Kate Middleton's younger sister Pippa — the
one who rose to fame when she acted as the royal's maid of honor at her 2011 wedding.
Pippa's full name is Philippa Charlotte Middleton. However, the Princess of Wales
has never confirmed any link between her daughter's name and that of her sister.
It's also worth considering a link to royal family members of the past. Princess Charlotte
of Germany married Britain's King George III in 1760 and became Queen for many
year. Their son was King George IV and he counted 14 other children as his siblings,
including, incidentally, a Prince William and a Princess Charlotte.
So, at the end of the day, Charlotte's name could have been picked based on
more than one factor. When it comes to the middle names of the princess,
however, the significance of those monikers seems pretty straightforward.
Princess Charlotte's first middle name, Elizabeth, is quite obviously a nod to her great-grandmother,
Queen Elizabeth II, the long-reigning monarch of Britain and former head of
the royal family. Presumably they chose to avoid giving their daughter the first
name of Elizabeth to avoid the pressure and expectations that such a name would bring.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Charlotte's name honoring Queen Elizabeth is that she is third
in line for the throne at this juncture, behind her brother, Prince George of Wales and her
father, the Prince of Wales. At one point, her great-grandmother, the former Queen, was also
third in line. Her father was King George VI — he only became monarch after his older brother King
Edward VIII abdicated the throne, making her odds of sitting on the throne a long shot at one point.
As far as the inspiration for naming Princess Charlotte both Elizabeth and Diana, well,
that was seemingly a no-brainer, considering the deep respect and love Prince William has
for his dearly departed mother. Because, what if the Prince and Princess of Wales
had decided to go with Diana as a first name in honor of the small royal's late grandmother?
Richard Kay of the Daily Mail had something to say about that notion, noting,
"I think [William] very wisely decided not to give Charlotte his mother's name
as her first name. Everything she did and said would have been compared with her."
He added that by giving the little girl the name as a middle moniker,
"It means Diana is still there."
Meanwhile, a friend of the late Princess of Wales, Simone Simmons, told Vanity Fair that Prince
William's mother would have been thrilled for her name to live on in her granddaughter. She said,
"It's William's way of honoring his mother's memory."