FOR THE MOTHER HE LOST
Charlotte elizabeth diana: William ensures name of princess the palace tried to forget will live on
NAMING the new royal baby after Princess Diana means the name and spirit of William’s beloved mother ‘lives on’, her closest friend said last night. The infant’s full name is Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. She is fourth in line to the throne.
Within minutes of the official announcement of the names, Princess Diana’s confidante Rosa Monckton said: ‘Diana’s spirit lives on i n her sons, and now her name l i ves on i n her granddaughter.’
William and Kate sought the blessing of both the Queen and Prince Charles before announcing what they had decided to call their daughter.
The Duke of Cambridge was determined to pay tribute to his mother – despite the efforts of some palace courtiers to have Diana airbrushed from royal history.
William was, however, clear that his baby girl should not have Diana as a first name. ‘It would have been a millstone around her neck,’ says one of the princess’s long-time friends.
The couple’s statement read: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. The baby will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.’ Charlotte is the feminine
form of Charles in French and while royal sources said that first and foremost the couple ‘simply liked the name’, William and Kate were also said to be aware of the ‘happy coincidence’.
It is also the middle name of Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, who was the couple’s bridesmaid. As for Elizabeth and Diana: ‘I think we will let those names speak for themselves,’ said an aide. The inclusion of Elizabeth will be considered a touching tribute to the Queen in this, her 90th year.
In September she will also become the longest-ruling monarch in British history, over-taking Charlotte’s great-great-greatgreat-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
William, 32, is particularly close to his grandmother and turns to her for advice far more than his father. In turn, she is indulgent of her grandson and has made it clear she wants him to enjoy a normal family life as much as he can before he becomes immersed in royal duties.
Elizabeth is also Kate’s middle name as well as that of her mother, doting granny Carole Middleton. It was also the first name of the Duchess’s great-grandmother, Elizabeth Templeton.
And while Kate, 33, proudly wears Princess Diana’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring, now her daughter will bear the name of the grandmother she never got to meet.
Diana, the first and only British Princess Diana (whose name means Divine), had always longed for a daughter and would have been delighted, say friends, to have seen William go on to have one of his own.
His uncle, Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, later Tweeted his congratulations saying: ‘My two-year-old Charlotte Diana will be thrilled at cousinly name-sharing.’ He was referring to his daughter by his third wife, Karen.
Mrs Monckton, whose daughter, Dominica, born with Down’s Syndrome, was
Diana’s god-daughter, had over the weekend made a point of reminding people of the poignancy of the princess’s absence in the celebrations.
She wrote simply: ‘How Diana would have loved a granddaughter’ and posted a picture of her friend with her youngest child.
The name Charlotte has royal links, most notably Queen Charlotte, the German-born wife of ‘mad’ King George III, a keen botanist who founded Kew Gardens.
She didn’t meet her husband until their wedding day – but went on to produce 15 children with him in 21 years.
However, the name will inevitably be seen as a tribute to William’s father. The prince has spoken of his deep respect for his father and Charles strove after Diana’s death to protect and support his sons.
The name is French in origin and means ‘petite’ and ‘feminine’ or ‘free man’. Nicknames for the princess could include Lottie or Charlie.
According to the Office for National Statistics, Charlotte was the 21st most popular name for girls in England and Wales in 2013. Its popularity is expected to fall following the announcement.
Sasha Miller, of BabyCentre said: ‘It’s a lovely name but parents don’t want to be labelled as having been influenced by others in their baby name choice.’
The Queen is expected to meet her fifth great-grandchild today in London.
‘Deep respect for his father’