Princess’s name resonates richly in roll call of Europe’s royalty

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, have endowed their daughter with names rich in history

History: A 1794 mezzotint of King George III, Queen Charlotte and their children by John Murphy.

Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, have paid homage to past and present royalty by naming their new daughter Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Elizabeth is ­inspired by the current Queen, the Queen’s mother and a queen from the Tudor period, with origins reaching back to biblical times. Diana pays homage to William’s late mother, yet the name has ­origins in classical mythology.

The name Charlotte also has a rich history. A diminutive female form of Charles, a tribute to William’s father, it has been bestowed on dozens of royal babies since it came to prominence in 17th century France.

Both Charles and Charlotte come from a Germanic or Norse word karlaz or kerlaz meaning free man, or more specifically a man without social rank. From this word came various names including Carl, Carlos, Carla, Carol (Kate’s mother’s name), Caroline and also the English word churl, meaning peasant.

A curious choice of name for royalty, yet the name Charles has been held by two English kings, 10 French, five Spanish, 15 Swedish (16 if you include Carl XVI Gustaf) and seven Holy Roman emperors.

There have also been innumerable princes and dukes who bore the name Charles. One of them, Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenberg-Strelitz, Prince of Mirow, was father of one of the most revered Charlottes in the British royal family tree.

Born Sophia Charlotte in 1744 she was named in honour of her grandmother Countess Sophia and her father, but was always known as Charlotte. In 1761 she married the recently crowned, King George III, becoming Queen Consort of Britain at only 17.

They had 15 children, 13 of whom survived to adulthood and two of whom, George Prince of Wales and William Duke of Clarence, became king. Their brother, Frederick Duke of York, fathered Queen Victoria.

Queen Charlotte had African blood from her Portuguese ancestors and, in portraits of her by Sir Allan Ramsey, it is possible to see African features.

Although untutored when she arrived in England, her later letters show a depth of education. She was interested in music, studying with Johann Christian Bach, son of Johann Sebastian. Her interest in botany led to the establishment of Kew Gardens and she gave royal patronage to the Queen Charlotte Maternity Hospital that bears her name. She also introduced the first Christmas tree to England, ­although it was her granddaughter Victoria who made it a popular.

Charlotte cared for her husband as he descended into madness in 1811, brought on by the inherited condition porphyria. Charlotte died in 1818 and George died in 1820.

Their eldest daughter was also named Charlotte. Born in 1766 she was officially designated Princess Royal in 1789 and in 1797 married Prince Frederick of Wurttemberg, later King Frederick III. Frederick briefly earned the enmity of his ­father-in-law George III by siding with Napoleon. George refused to address his daughter as queen in his correspondence, but all was ­forgiven when Frederick changed allegiance and fought Napoleon.

Another famous royal Charlotte was Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of George Prince of Wales, eldest son of Queen Charlotte and George III. She was born in 1796, a product of the troubled marriage of George and Princess Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel.

George only married Caroline because he was heavily in debt and was promised an increase in his ­income if he married his cousin Caroline. He had tried to marry a Catholic woman Maria Fitzherbert but the marriage was declared ­invalid as it was performed without the king’s permission.

After Caroline produced a child, named Charlotte Augusta, George separated from her. Caroline was later moved out of the palace. When Charlotte was of marriageable age she was promised to the impoverished Prince Leopold of Orange, but Caroline’s opposition led to Charlotte fleeing the palace.

The couple were married in 1816. It seemed a happy marriage and she was expectated to produce an heir. Bookmakers took bets on the sex and possible names for the child. But in 1817 Charlotte gave birth to a stillborn son and died soon after. Her death left George, later king George IV, without an heir and lead to the crisis that put Victoria on the throne.

Originally published as Princess’s name resonates richly in roll call of Europe’s royalty