All the ways Princess Charlotte's name is full of hidden tributes to her family

13 February 2024 , 23:00

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All the ways Princess Charlotte's name is full of hidden tributes to her family

It's thought that Princess Charlotte's name was inspired by three hugely significant figures in her father's life as well as being linked to the Middleton family.

And now the touching meanings behind the eight-year-old's name have been shared. Charlotte was the favourite name among bookmakers ahead of Kate giving birth to her and William's first and only daughter. The young princess' was given the name Charlotte Elizabeth Diana when she was born on May 2, 2015.

It remains clear to this day that her name nods to a lot of family connections and people in her life. Firstly it's believed her name is linked to King Charles III - Charlotte's grandfather - as the feminine version of his name. Charlotte's middle name, Elizabeth, is also clearly a tribute to her great-grandmother and the late Queen Elizabeth II.

This was also the name of Prince William's great-grandmother, the late Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth. And a number of another royal women also share Elizabeth as their middle name, including Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice and Lady Louise Windsor.

Elizabeth is also Kate's own middle name, passed down through the Middleton family tree from Kate's grandmother Elizabeth Harrison, who died when Kate was nine. Kate's mother Carole also shares the same middle name.

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Charlotte's second middle name, Diana, was of course given to her in honour of William's mother, the late Princess Diana. Before she was born some royal fans speculated that the young princess would be named Diana - but William quickly made it clear his daughter wouldn't have Diana as a first name.

In the Channel 5 documentary, Secrets of the Royal Family, Richard Kay, Daily Mail royal journalist and an old friend to Diana, said: "I think he [William] very wisely decided not to give Charlotte his mother's name as her first name. Everything she did and said would have been compared with her. By giving Diana as the middle name, it means Diana is still there."

Princess Charlotte also shares her middle name with her cousin, Princess Lilibet Diana, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter.

Lucy Skoulding