Queen will be told her name, then we’ll know
PRINCE William is expected to discuss the name of his daughter with his grandmother the Queen today.
There is no protocol which says the monarch needs to be consulted about the name of a newborn in the family, and senior royal sources have stressed she has no expectation of being informed in person before the princess’s name is made public.
However, William, who has a grown especially close to his grandmother in recent years, has apparently decided to afford her the honour when they meet in Sandringham.
It is expected that he and Kate will leave London with their two children this morning for Anmer Hall, their ten-bedroom mansion on the estate in Norfolk. The Queen and Prince Philip are currently in residence at Wood Farm, another sprawling house used by the royals just a few minutes’ drive away.
One senior royal source suggested to the Mail yesterday that they expected the Queen, who will return to Buckingham Palace tomorrow for the first time since before Easter, to be introduced to her fifth great-grandchild shortly after William arrives. It is likely the Queen and Prince Philip, aged 89 and 93 respectively, will drive to Anmer, in order to make life a little easier for their grandson.
‘I think it would be wholly reasonable to expect the Queen to be introduced to her greatgranddaughter in Norfolk,’ the source said.
An insider added: ‘The Queen and her grandson have grown exceptionally close in recent years and he trusts her judgement implicitly.
‘Indeed, William is far more likely to turn to her than even his father, as he did when he was unhappy about the guest list that had been forced upon him for his wedding. She told him to rip it up and start again with the people he actually wanted there. She is rather indulgent of her grandson like that and wants him to enjoy family life as much as he can before he becomes immersed in the formalities of royal life. It is understandable that William would want to see her in person.’
Yesterday the Queen beamed as she was driven away from St Mary Magdalene church in Sandringham by Prince Philip. But worshippers hoping for a name to be revealed during the service were left disappointed. Rector the Rev Jonathan Riviere said he referred to the princess in prayers only as ‘a little girl’.