A name fit for a King: How Prince William and Kate Middleton came to choose Prince George’s name – as he turns ten years old today
- The prince will become the UK’s seventh King George when he takes the throne
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With Prince William and Princess Catherine preparing to welcome their first child ten years ago today, they knew they would need to pick a name fit for a king.
Prince George Alexander Louis was born on July 22, 2013 but it took two days for his name to be announced to the world.
The name was a classic, traditional choice filled with many references to members of the Royal Family that came before him.
George had been a notable favourite with the British Monarchy.
Prince George Alexander Louis was born on July 22, 2013, but it took two days for his name to be announced to the world
The name was a classic, traditional choice filled with many references to members of the Royal Family that came before him. Pictured: Page of Honour Prince George of Wales attending the coronations of King Charles on May 6, 2023
The Royal Family issued a statement which said: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son George Alexander Louis.
‘The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.’
It was reported that William and Kate had a few options in mind for their firstborn son, however, they wanted to wait and decide what was fit for him after his birth.
George had long been the favourite of bookmakers, with James, Alexander, Henry and Arthur as the next choices.
George
It is likely the name George was given in honour of Prince William’s great-grandfather King George VI.
The Queen’s father, born Albert Frederick Arthur George, was known as Albert publicly and Bertie among friends, but he chose George – his fourth name – to use as Sovereign.
George VI selected the name in tribute to his father George V and to create the impression of stability following the scandal of the abdication of his brother Edward VIII.
George was, of course, introduced to the British Monarchy with the arrival of the Hanoverians, starting with the German-speaking George I.
If he chooses to reign under his own name, Prince George would become the nation’s seventh King George when he ascends to the throne.
George is also the fourth name of King Charles, his grandfather.
The name George has been a favourite with the British Monarchy. Pictured: Prince George and Prince William watching a fly-past from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour in 2022
Having become a name that is synonymous with British kings, the name is also representative of St George, the patron Saint of England who represents honour, bravery and gallantry.
The name George means farmer or earth worker – having been derived from the Greek word georgos and the Greek name Georgios.
Alexander
George’s second name, Alexander, pays tribute to the Queen, whose full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.
The feminine version of Alexander has also been used for other female members of the royal family, including Queen Victoria’s full name Alexandrina Victoria.
It was also noted by royal commentators that the name Alexander, or Alexandra, was a name favoured by Kate.
A name of Greek origin, Alexander derives from the word warrior, or protector of men – with Alexander the Great as one of its most famous exponents.
Prince George at the traditional Easter Sunday Matins Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, 2023
Louis
The name Louis is likely to have been chosen as a tribute to King Charles’s late friend and mentor, Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was known by the Royal Family as Uncle Dickie before his passing.
The Earl – an uncle to the late Prince Philip – was murdered in 1979 along with two others people by an IRA bomb placed aboard his fishing boat in Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Ireland.
Earl Mountbatten was also a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and was related to Queen Elizabeth II as well as Prince Philip.
George’s third name just happens to be the same as his father’s, whose full name is William Arthur Philip Louis. It is probable that the name was also given to William in honour of Lord Mountbatten.
Princess Charlotte and Prince George on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour, 2022
A five-year-old Prince George as he arrives with bridesmaids to the wedding of Britain’s Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel, 2018
Kate and William must have loved the name Louis so much that they named their second son Louis Arthur Charles.
The name Louis, although not a ‘traditional’ name, ran in the family as the Earl’s father was also named Louis, along with Prince Philip’s grandfather, Prince Louis of Battenberg.
While no British monarch has been named Louis, it has been incredibly popular within the French royal family – where 18 kings have taken the name since 814.
The French and English form of the German name Ludwig, Louis means famous warrior or famous in battle.
Mountbatten-Windsor
Like his siblings, George has the hyphenated surname Mountbatten-Windsor, which was created to combine the names of the late Queen and Prince Philip.
Following their marriage in 1960, the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh sought to differentiate their direct descendants from the rest of the House of Windsor.
Prince George at the Plunkett’s Parent’s Group at Government House on April 9, 2014 in Wellington, New Zealand
Philip’s family surname Mountbatten had been a thorny issue for the royals in the past. The late Prince had been keen that their children take Mountbatten and famously exclaimed: ‘I am nothing but a bloody amoeba.
‘I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children.’
So, it was decided the Queen’s descendants, other than those with the style of Royal Highness and the title of Prince or Princes,s would carry the name of Mountbatten-Windsor.
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