Prince William and Kate Middleton announce name of their newborn son
THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have finally announced the name of their third child, and this is where his name comes from.
THE newest member of the royal family has been named.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have announced that their newborn son, a brother to Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 2, will be called Prince Louis.
“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles,” Kensington Palace said in a statement on Friday, four days after he was born.
“The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.”
The child was born a Prince of Cambridge so has also inherited the prefix title of his royal highness (HRH) — an honour only bestowed upon children of royal birth.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles.
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 27, 2018
The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge. pic.twitter.com/4DUwsLv5JQ
The name will be pronounced ‘Louey’ rather than ‘Lewis’ and received a positive reaction from the public.
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It appears to be a reference to Lord Louis Mountbatten, an uncle of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and a second cousin to the Queen. He was a commander during WWII and first Governor-general of India. His maternal grandfather was also called Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg.
Prince William’s full name is William Arthur Philip Louis. Prince George’s full name is George Alexander Louis.
The inclusion of Charles also matches the trend for Princess Charlotte, whose full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
On Wednesday, Prince William attended an Anzac Day service at Westminster Abbey with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle where he said the new prince had a “strong name”.
“Sleeping’s going reasonably well so far, so he’s behaving himself, which is good news,” he said.
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The Duke also fuelled speculation it could be Alexander after he joked with Australian High Commissioner Alexander Downer, who had suggested his name, saying: “Funny you should say that ... It’s a good name.”
Prior to the big reveal, the name Arthur was the frontrunner with UK bookies, with Albert, Fred and Philip also popular bets. Louis was an outside choice at 18/1.
The name is more popular with royalty in France, where 18 kings have been named Louis, including Louis IX, who led two crusades, and Louis XIV, the Sun King, who ruled France at the height of its power, built the Palace of Versailles, and the longest reigning monarch in the history of Europe.
Kate gave birth on Monday at 11.01am on April 23, in the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in London with her husband Prince William by her side.
The royal couple followed the tradition observed with their previous children of waiting to reveal the name to the public, in order for them to inform the Queen first.
It’s a long-established custom: Prince William’s name was not announced for a week when he was born, while his father Charles’ wasn’t known for a whole month. While Prince George and Princess Charlotte took two days each to become known, the world was waiting four days to find out about Prince Louis.
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The royal family’s new addition wasn’t the only exciting announcement to come out of Kensington Palace this week.
On Thursday, the royals announced Prince Harry had asked his brother to be his best man at his upcoming wedding to Meghan Markle.
The couple are getting married on May 19 at St George’s Chapel in the ground of Windsor Castle. Prince Harry was previously best man for his brother in 2011 when he married Catherine Middleton.
Kensington Palace announced the exciting news in a series of tweets, posting an adorable throwback photo of the two brothers dressed up as police officers.
The Duke of Cambridge is honoured to have been asked, and is very much looking forward to supporting his brother at St George's Chapel, Windsor on May 19th. pic.twitter.com/mQ0eh7Q0pR
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 26, 2018
Meanwhile, royal watchers are now looking ahead to the baby prince’s christening — but they may be in for a bit of a wait.
Traditionally, a royal baby is christened two to three months after their birth — so it’s likely to be held in late June or July.
When the day finally arrives, Prince Louis will be christened as a member of the Church of England. There has been no official word on where the event will be held, but it’s likely to be at the church of St Mary Magdalene, near the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The entire royal family visits the church on Christmas Day every year, and Charlotte was christened there in 2015.
Her older brother George was christened in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London in 2013.
Wherever the christening takes place, it will be an intimate affair: George and Charlotte’s both had 30 or fewer guests.
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