It’s a George! Just days after Duchess Catherine gave birth to a bouncing, healthy baby boy, the Royal couple finally made the little guy’s name public. From this point forward, he will be known as George Alexander Louis.
From almost the minute Kate Middleton announced her pregnancy, British oddsmakers began speculating about the handle she and Prince William would choose. For the final months, the odds on favorite was George, and according to BBC News, Alexander and Louis were both considered strong contenders too. Initially, there was some speculation Will and Kate might continue to push the Monarchy into the 21st Century by choosing something outside the box, but in the end, they decided to go with an extremely traditional name.
The specific reasons why the three names were chosen haven’t been made public, but there are certainly some pretty good theories floating around as to why each part was chosen. First, George has been the name of multiple English kings, most recently the Queen’s father King George VI. He was very well liked, and his battle with a stuttering problem was recently chronicled in the delightful film The King’s Speech.
The origins of Alexander are a bit more muddled, but there are several options. First, naming a monarch after Alexander The Great is never the worst idea in the world. He may have had his problems with the bottle, but he also conquered the known world. In addition, there have been several Kings of Scotland named Alexander; so, the little one could be a tribute to one or more of them.
As for Louis, the handle could potentially refer to William’s great-great grandfather Prince Louis, or it could be a hat tip to Prince Philip’s uncle Louis Mountbatten who was tragically murdered by the IRA in a boat bombing in the late 1970s. As the child’s third name, it likely won’t be used very often, but with either motivation, there’s clearly love behind the choice.
The question of whether or not parents should go the traditional route or the more unexpected route is always a complicated one. Given all the history of the British Monarchy, there are tons of figures worth honoring, and there are tons of great choices for family names. As a representative of the people, it’s also important to give the children a name of respect. On the other hand, however, sometimes traditions need to be broken to make new ones. Obviously, they didn't need to name the new addition something wild, but they could have picked something slightly newer.
I want to like this name because I like everything about William and Kate, but I’m a little underwhelmed by it. What do you think? Do you like the handle choice? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…
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