When Duchess Kate and Prince William announced in May 2015 that they had a daughter, many fans of the British royal family were certain: the little princess will bear the name of her grandmother or great-grandmother. Accordingly, the astonishment was great after it became clear that the royal offspring is not called Elizabeth or Diana – but Charlotte. Nobility expert Richard Kay now explains why.
Wise decision by William and Kate
On May 4, 2015, two days after the birth of Prince William and Duchess Kate's second child, the British royal family announced the baby girl's name: Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. A huge surprise: Because many had expected a different first name. But instead, the Mini-Royal was named second and third after great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth and late grandmother Princess Diana.
In the new documentary Secrets Of The Royal Palaces, Daily Mail journalist and columnist Richard Kay explains that the name Diana would have been too much of a burden for the princess. "I think he [Prince William, editor's note] made a very wise decision not to give Charlotte his mother's name as a first name. Everything she did and said would have been compared to her.” The same goes for the name Elizabeth.
Keeping the memory of his mother alive
William didn't want to give up honoring his beloved mother entirely. "Having Diana as a middle name means Diana is still around," the royal insider says."He thinks about her almost every day and wants to keep his mother's memory alive."
The Channel 5 documentary also reveals that Charlotte was christened in honor of Diana in a small church in Sandringham.
