It’s lovely Louis!
Four days on, royal baby is finally named – and Charles will be thrilled
After four drawn-out days, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge finally announced the name of their new baby son yesterday – Louis Arthur Charles.
His first name is one of Prince William’s own middle names, which was chosen by his father Prince Charles as tribute to his late mentor, Lord Louis Mountbatten.
Charles himself gets a sweet nod in this, his 70th birthday year, with his grandson’s second middle name.
But sources say Louis was chosen simply because William and Kate liked it so much – which is no surprise as it is one of Prince George’s middle names too.
the news came as something of a sur- prise to members of the public eagerly placing a bet on the new fifth in line to the throne.
In total, more than £100,000 was wagered on guessing the name of the newborn – more than double the amount that the bookmakers took after Princess Charlotte’s birth – according to bonuscodebets.co.uk.
One lucky gambler from Horsham, in Sussex, had a reason to celebrate after her £250 bet on Louis at 18/1 saw a princely return of £4,500.
Alice Gordon decided to back the name because it was the same as her grandson’s, who was born the day after the prince.
‘I thought I’d go for a cheeky bet as perhaps my Louis would bring some luck.
‘And here I am, £4,500 richer; the money though, I’m going to put aside for my grandson,’ she said.
Prince Louis – whose official title will be His royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge – was born at 11.01am at the private Lindo Wing, St Mary’s, Paddington, on Monday.
But although the royal couple appeared for a photocall with their newborn just seven hours later, William and Kate took their time in announcing the baby’s name.
On thursday night the prince joked that they were still ‘working on it’ and all would be revealed ‘soon’. Louis, which means ‘renowned warrior’ in french, has links to Prince Philip, whose grandfather was Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg. the name is also very dear to Prince Charles, whose beloved great-uncle and mentor, earl Louis Mountbatten, was assassinated by the IrA in 1979.
Arthur is very much a family tradition: both William and grandfather Charles have it as a middle name.
It was also the name of Queen Victoria’s third son, who was said to be her favourite child.
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine, said of the couple’s choice: ‘I never gave Louis a thought, because George already had it.
‘Intriguing, but I’m guessing that it’s no more than a name they really like.
‘I did think we might see Philip, but maybe Harry and Meghan will remedy that in due course.’
He added: ‘ Queen Victoria when widowed insisted on Albert in the names of her male grandchildren and greatgrandchildren; once she died that stopped.
‘As we know, the present Queen doesn’t interfere with such things.’ In a statement yesterday Kensington Palace said: ‘the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles.’ As revealed by the Mail, Prince Charles still hasn’t visited his new grandson, as he is away at his Scottish residence. He is likely to be touched, however, by the inclusion of Charles in Louis’s middle name.
As to when the prince might visit his grandson, there is no news yet. It is understood that the matter is ‘in hand’.
‘I thought I’d go for a cheeky bet’