Charlotte Elizabeth Diana: The Significance of the Royal Baby’s Name
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their daughter on Saturday.
— -- When choosing their second child’s name, Kate Middleton and Prince William went the sentimental route.
Charlotte Elizabeth Diana is an homage to both sides of the Duke and Duchess’s families.
Charlotte is one of the oldest and most iconic names associated with the royal family, first used by the eldest daughter of King George III in 1766. Charlotte is also the feminine form of Charles, the new baby’s paternal grandfather, and the middle name of her only aunt, Kate’s sister Pippa.
Elizabeth, meanwhile, is a tribute to the baby’s paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, to whom the Duke of Cambridge is close. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will become the longest reigning monarch on September 9. Her coronation took place on June 2, 1953, when she was 25 years old.
Elizabeth is also the name of Prince William’s great grandmother, the Queen Mother Elizabeth. She was the beloved grandmother of Prince Charles, who was a constant presence to the nation during WW2. The name is rooted in history: Elizabeth also ruled in the 16th and 17th centuries.
It also has great significance for the maternal side of the family: Not only is it the Duchess's middle name, but it's also the middle name of her mother, Carole Middleton.
And finally, there’s the name Diana, perhaps most famously associated with William’s late mother. The former Princess of Wales died at the age of 36 in 1997 after a car accident in Paris. The European root of the name means “divine or heavenly."
Diana in recent weeks had been the sentimental favorite among the British population, however few thought it would be a first name for the child.
Patrick Jephson, Princess Diana’s Chief of Staff up until her death, told ABC News people worried that naming the baby Diana would create a bit of a burden, though it could also be inspirational.