Whilst the Great Kate Wait is underway as we await the arrival of the royal baby, let’s have a look at some of the names The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge may decide to call their new baby!
Girls’ names:
Princess Alice
Alice is widely-believed to be the most likely name for the latest royal baby.
Princess Alice – prince philip’s mother – in her youth. (The Lost Gallery)
The most recent Princess Alice was The Queen’s aunt by marriage The Duchess of Gloucester, who was married to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester.
Alice was also the name of Prince Philip’s mother, Alice of Battenberg, the new baby’s great-great-grandmother. Born at Windsor Castle, Princess Alice became Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark upon marrying the Greek Prince in 1903. During World War II, she hid Jews from the Nazis and was posthumously honoured as “Righteous Among the Nations”.
Another nod to The Queen is that Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, is a link to how The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip are related. Princess Alice was Philip’s great-grandmother and was The Queen’s great-great-aunt.
Mary
Mary is a vastly popular name among the British Royals – most notably it is the second middle name of The Queen.
The Queen has Mary as one of her middle names. Picture by Stephen Lock / i-Images
The Queen’s grandmother – the baby’s great-great-great-grandmother – was the formidable Queen Mary. Queen Mary, wife of George V, played a vital role in the war effort during both World Wars and helped bring stability to the abdication crisis in 1936, when her son chose his love for Wallis Simpson over the Crown. Queen Mary broke with tradition and attended the coronation of her son, George VI, being the first Dowager Queen to do so.
A popular contemporary is Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark. Mary married Prince Frederick in 2004 after meeting at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Princess Mary and the Duchess of Cambridge have met on several occasions and have formed a good relationship, most recently at Ascot in 2016. However, the British Royals don’t seem to pay much attention to the names used in the European Royal Families.
Victoria
Since Queen Victoria’s reign, Royal Families from across Europe have included her name in many of their offspring. It was a decree given by the Queen to her family that all female descendants should carry Victoria somewhere in their name; Princess Eugenie is the only currently Royal to be following this rule.
If The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge decide to name the royal baby Victoria, she will be named after her great-great-great-great-great grandmother (phew!).
Another close link for the Royals is Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, later Victoria Mountbatten, who was Prince Philip’s grandmother. Victoria’s sister, Alexandra, was Empress of Russia alongside her husband Tsar Nicholas II; both were killed during the Russian Revolution. Victoria was largely responsible for her grandson’s education and upbringing, and the two were very close.
Looking towards European Royalty, Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, is one of the most popular heirs to a thrown in the world. Victoria is known to be the ‘godmother of Europe’, as some of her godchildren include Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece, Princess Ingrid of Norway, Prince Christian of Denmark, Princess Chatharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess Eléonore of Belgium, and her nephew and niece, Prince Alexander of Sweden and Princess Leonore of Sweden.
The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge met Crown Princess Victoria and her husband, Prince Daniel, in Sweden earlier this year. Picture by Andrew Parsons / i-Images
Alexandra
Alexandra has been a popular name in the Royal Family since Edward VII married Princess Alexandra of Denmark, later Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. This royal marriage linked the British Monarchy with even more of Europe; Alexandra’s siblings became King of Denmark, King of Greece, Empress of Russia and Crown Princess of Hannover. Queen Alexandra is the current Queen’s great-grandmother and Prince Philip’s great-aunt.
Alexandra is also the first middle name of The Queen.
The Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra on their wedding day. (wikimedia commons)
The most recent member of the Royal family to be named Alexandra is The Queen’s cousin Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Oglivy.
Over in Europe there is Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, the only daughter of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Princess Alexandra of Hanover, daughter of Prince Ernst of Hanover and Princess Caroline of Monaco. Princess Alexandra of Hanover is in line of succession to the British throne through her father.
princess alexandra is the queen’s cousin (royal family)
Boys’ names:
Arthur
According to bookmakers, Arthur is the leading favourite if the royal baby is a boy.
Arthur is a middle name of Prince William, Prince Charles and George VI.
The most notable Royal named Arthur was Queen Victoria’s seventh child, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. He is the great-grandfather of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, thus linking the British Monarchy with Swedish Monarchy.
Lady Sarah Chatto’s son, The Queen’s great-nephew, is named Arthur. Arthur Chatto is currently 23rd in line to the throne and is a student at the University of Edinburgh.
Frederick
As the baby will be styled Prince or Princess of Cambridge, it might be a nod to the title that the Duke and Duchess name the royal baby son after Prince Adolphus Frederick, 1st Duke of Cambridge.
crown prince frederik of denmark
The most prominent Prince Frederick in recent years has been Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark. Now approaching his 50th birthday, Prince Frederick is known as one of the most good-looking Princes in Europe. Through his grandmother, Princess Ingrid of Sweden, he is in line for the British throne.
Philip
A wonderful tribute to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, would be to include his name in the new baby’s. Both Charles and William have Philip as middle names.
Prince Philip, born as a Prince of Greece and Denmark, fought in the navy during World War II and married Princess Elizabeth in 1947. Known for his dedication to duty, Prince Philip has been Britain’s longest serving consort in history, and retired from official duties last summer.
Could there be a nod to Prince Philip in the royal baby’s name? Picture by WPA Rota / i-Images
James
Although a popular royal name, it is unlikely James will be chosen as a first name for the the Duke and Duchess’s new baby.
The Queen already has a grandson called James – The Earl and Countess of Wessex’s youngest child is James, Viscount Severn.
The Middleton family is already dealing with numerous members names James. The Duchess of Cambridge’s younger brother, James Middleton, has been praised since the Royal Wedding in 2011 for doing a reading whilst battling dyslexia. And the Duchess’s sister, Pippa, married James Matthews in May 2017.
James, Viscount Severn, with his father, the Earl of Wessex. Picture by Andrew Parsons / i-Images
UK’s top baby names
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge may decide to take a look at the most popular names in the UK to decide what to call their bundle of joy.
The current high climbers are:
- Emma
- Olivia
- Eva
- Isabelle
- Liam
- Noah
- Logan
- Oliver
1 comment
Well, you have scores of royal names (those borne by various monarchs within the British isles) that never seem to get usage such as Duncan, Donald, Kenneth or Malcolm (Scotland ) DERMOT, Brian , Connor or Rory (Ireland), Howell, Llewelyn, Griffith or rice / rhys wales) but the probability goes to Arthur, Frederick, John , Richard, Robert or Edward.