What’s in a name? World waits for announcement about Royal baby princess

By Efrosini Costa

What’s in a name? World waits for announcement about Royal baby princess
As the world awaits an official name for the new royal baby, we take a look at the contenders and their history.

Victoria, Alexandra, Elizabeth, Diana, the question on everyone’s lips today is what will they name the new royal baby.

Since her arrival on saturday, the newest addition to the royal family, like her brother before her, has caused quite a lot of chatter and intrigue about what the world will soon call her.

Unlike with Prince George, the name game is even more compelling because the royal baby is a girl, especially with ever-present memory of the late Diana, Princess of Wales still so dominant in the minds of many royal fans.

From the Duchess of Cambridge’s engagement ring to the similarity in choices of outfits on special royal occasions and proceedings as well as Kate’s modern approach to family and parenting within the traditional monarchy, all of this symbolism lends itself to the idea that Diana’s memory and presence is of much importance to her eldest son, Prince William.

Yet many royal observers believe the names could be overlooked in favour of one steeped in royal history.

According to the bookmakers, Charlotte and Alice have emerged as the favourite names for the princess, followed by Olivia, Victoria and Elizabeth.

We decided to take a look at the top 5 names in the running for the new princess and their historical relevance for each of them:

Charlotte –  the feminine version of Charles, a nod to the royal princess’s grandfather, the Prince of Wales, has a long royal pedigree. Charles is also the name of two former British Kings. But it also has a connection to the Duchess’ side, Charlotte is the middle name of her sister Pippa Middelton. Interestingly, Buckingham House was bought in 1761 for Queen Charlotte, the wife of Kind George III, who used the residence as a family home close to St James’s Palace – it became known as the Queen’s House and is now Buckingham Palace.

 Alice – the other favourite contender in the great name race, Alice was the name of the Duke of Edinburgh’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg and of his great-grandmother, who was the third child of Queen Victoria. The family changed their name from Battenberg to Mountbatten during World War I, which Prince Philip adopted when he became a naturalised British subject in 1947. Other royals bearing the name include the Queen’s aunt by marriage, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.

Olivia – while the name has no immediate apparent royal connections, it has proven to be quite popular with British subjects, the second most popular girls’ name for babies born in England and Wales in 2013 according to national statistics. Such a name would put the royal family right on track to becoming a more ‘modern’ monarchy, as such we wont rule it out just yet.

Victoria & Elizabeth – arguably the most famous female names in British monarchy history, these two names are both an obvious first choice. Queen Victoria is the longest reigning monarch, and the present Queen Elizabeth II set to surpass her record on September 9, 2015. Elizabeth, was also the name of the late Queen Mother and, coincidentally, is the middle name of the duchess’s mother, Carole Middleton.

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