‘Heritage’ of baby Prince Louis’s name
New Prince is named in tribute to grandpa’s beloved Earl Mountbatten... and palace readies red carpet
ROYALS: The naming of the four-day-old Prince of Cambridge as Louis would delight both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh, historian Judith Rowbotham has said.
“It’s not a traditional Windsor name but it’s very much an acknowledgement of a wider heritage,” she added.
HIS NAMESAKE was the beloved great uncle and mentor to his grandfather, so the choice of a forename that yesterday confounded the pundits and bookies was perhaps not such a surprise after all.
The naming of the four-day-old Prince of Cambridge increased the number of people at Kensington Palace called Louis to three – it is one of Prince William’s middle names and one of Prince George’s.
The choice, said historian Judith Rowbotham, was “a little surprising” but one that would delight both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh.
“It’s not a traditional Windsor name but it’s very much an acknowledgement of a wider heritage,” Dr Rowbotham said.
“Louis is a little surprising on one level because it’s not a strong Anglo-Saxon, British name and that has been what the Royal Family has tended to go for.
“Either they’ve gone completely off piste before with something like Zara (Princess Anne’s daughter) or they’ve stuck to more traditional names.
“But this is a name with a provenance.”
Earl Louis Mountbatten, whom both Charles and Philip revered, was murdered by the IRA in 1979.
“Louis Mountbatten is someone who Prince William himself never knew but at the same time he has remained a very important figure in terms of the impact he had on Prince Charles’ life,” Dr Rowbotham said.
The new Prince, whose full name is Louis Arthur Charles and who will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge, shares his first name with, amongst others, the jazz musician Louis Armstrong and a long line of French kings.
But Louis did not appear in any list of bookmakers’ favourites, most of whom had their shortest odds on Arthur, Albert and Philip.
Louis is currently the 71st most popular name for a baby boy in England and Wales, and was chosen by fewer than 1,000 families last year. Back in 2004 it ranked 38th and was chosen for 1,976 babies.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will have informed the Queen before announcing the name of their third child to the world.
As late as Thursday evening, at an event with Prince Harry, William revealed that he and Kate were still deciding, telling reporters who asked about the name: “I’m working on that.”
Four-year-old George was christened George Alexander Louis in 2013, and Charlotte, who turns three next week, was named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana in 2015.
Their names were announced when they were two days old.
Meanwhile, as one book closed, another opened for those wanting a Royal flutter.
William Hill was offering odds of 1,000-1 on Louis becoming an England football international when he grows up, and 50-1 on him following Zara’s example by winning an Olympic medal.
A career as a pop star also looked like a possibility, as the Doncaster singer Louis Tomlinson, a former member of the band One Direction, said: “I’ll take you under my wing, lad. The Adidas tracksuit is in the post.”
It’s very much an acknowledgement of a wider heritage. Historian Judith Rowbotham.