Prince William and Kate chose pretty “safe” names for their children. The only really notable thing about the boys’ names is that the names are from another era. But that’s how the heir is supposed to name his children – staid, traditional, boring, nothing controversial. Back then, Queen Elizabeth II liked to give her sign-off on baby names as well, especially for a future king. So, Prince George was never going to be Prince Tristan or Prince Marcus or Prince Jaylyn. Still, in Russell Myers’ new book about William and Kate, he included some of the baby-name conversations for George specifically.
Prince William joked he had very unusual and un-royal names on his shortlist when it came to naming his firstborn child, it has been revealed. The Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed their first son, Prince George, in 2013, but in the months leading up to his birth, William and Kate were brainstorming names for the heir to the throne.
A new biography William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story , by The Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers, reveals for the first time that William and Kate ‘spent hours’ researching names for their first child, with the Prince of Wales often coming out with very left-field suggestions.
In the months leading up to Prince George’s arrival, the couple had a big decision to make: the name of their first child. According to the biography, as Catherine reached the five-month stage of her pregnancy, the royal couple started buying baby clothes in neutral colours, as they had agreed to keep the gender of their baby a surprise until the birth.
But according to the book, they were at odds on deciding on a name. As Myers writes: “Catherine had her heart set on Alexander for a boy or Alexandra (also Queen Elizabeth’s middle name) for a girl. William had privately voiced his preference for having a girl, and was keen to incorporate a tribute to his late mother, most likely in the form of a middle name.”
The biography claims that Kate had been swapping ideas for baby names with some of her close friends who had recently had children of their own, and as they struggled to settle on a name, they were gifted a helpful tool.
“The couple had been given a book of baby names by a close friend, which they spent hours thumbing through – they often ended up in fits of laughter after one or the other had presented a more left-field suggestion,” the biography states.
According to royal sources, William would often start meetings with his press team by blurting out name suggestions such as, “What do you think about Rodney for a boy, or maybe Graham?”, pausing for his team’s stuttered response before roaring with laughter.
Despite the unusual suggestions, it has been revealed that William, who favoured a more traditional route for his heir, eventually settled on a shortlist of two names for a boy: George and Louis.
I like the name Graham, actually, and it’s weird to use that as a joke name? Prince Graham doesn’t sound odd to me, although obviously, it’s not “traditional” for the Windsors. I think we knew that Alexander was on the shortlist as well, and Kate did manage to get that as a middle name for George – he’s George Alexander Louis, and Prince Louis’s full name is Louis Arthur Charles. And it’s Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Kate never got to use “Alexandra.” Anyway, all of the real baby-name drama was saved for Princess Lilibet, Diana’s only blue-eyed grandchild. Those salty people are still f–king furious about Lili’s name.
Incidentally, there are some Biblical names which really should have been introduced into the Windsor naming system, and I have no idea why no one has ever tried. Like, what’s wrong with Daniel? Benjamin? Luke?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace.
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