The first Prince Louis in a century and a triple nod to royal history

After days of speculation, Duke and Duchess’s choice of baby name was one almost no one predicted

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their baby son Prince Louis Arthur Charles, paying tribute to the Royal family and confounding bookmakers in the process.

The infant, who was born on Monday, will be known by the title of His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge, in a surprise choice that honours the Duke’s side of the family. He is the first Prince Louis born into the Royal family in more than a century.

Prince Louis has not yet been introduced in person to the Queen or the Prince of Wales, who have been on duty in Windsor and Scotland respectively this week.

It is understood they and other senior members of the Royal family will see the prince and his parents as soon as possible.

The name Louis – for Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who was the mentor of the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales, and who was killed by an IRA bomb in 1979 – was barely mentioned by bookmakers or Royal-watchers as a likely choice, as it is one of Prince George’s middle names.

After five days of silence, the announcement was made by Kensington Palace on Twitter. “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles,” a spokesman said.

Each of the names has a long association with the Royal family, while there is no obvious recognition of the Middletons. The Duchess had great-greatuncles named Charles and Arthur through the paternal line.

On Thursday night, the Duke of Cambridge told reporters that he and

his wife were still “working on” the name. Bookmakers had heavily favoured the name Arthur, followed by Philip, for the Duke of Edinburgh, the infant’s great-grandfather; Michael, for his maternal grandfather; James, for his maternal uncle; or Albert.

While Philip did not feature in the end, the name Louis is heavily significant in the Duke of Edinburgh’s life, coming from both Lord Mountbatten and his maternal grandfather, Louis Alexander Mountbatten, Admiral of the Fleet and 1st Marquess of Milford Haven.

Both the Duke of Cambridge and Prince George, the new baby’s fouryear-old brother, have Louis as a middle name. The Duke and the Prince of Wales’s full names also include Arthur.

The infant prince had remained nameless for significantly longer than his elder brother and sister, with the names of Prince George Alexander Louis and Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana both being announced two days after they were born.

The infant Prince William was not named for a week, with his parents, the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, unable to agree on a final choice.

The Duke fuelled speculation about the name on Wednesday, after suggesting Alexander, another of Prince George’s middle names, could be an option. Told by Alexander Downer, the Australian High Commissioner, that he would recommend his own name for the Prince, the Duke replied: “Funny you should say that … It’s a good name.”

Prince Louis, who arrived a week before his parents’ seventh wedding anniversary at 11.01am on Monday, will now be kept away from the public eye for some time. He may make an appearance at the wedding of his uncle, Prince Harry, to Meghan Markle on May 19.

Both Prince George and Princess Charlotte were christened when they were several months old, with formal photographs being released on each occasion.