Buzz
After much anticipation, England's royal family has been blessed with a new arrival. The birth of the second son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was officially confirmed by Kensington Palace on April 23. However, the royal baby’s name remains a mystery. Choosing a name for their third child—who is already fifth in line to the throne—won't be a simple task for the heir to the British throne and his wife. Royals traditionally select names that honor pivotal figures in British history, making the process more complex than flipping through a baby name book.
As reported by ABC WJLA, it's customary for royal parents to give their baby three or four names. Will and Kate followed this tradition when naming their first child, George Alexander Louis, and their second, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Each name serves to pay tribute to a different esteemed royal from the past. While some royal names have less favorable associations (Prince Harry’s name, Henry, evokes the notorious monarch who had multiple wives), most royal babies are named after figures with noble and honorable roles in history.
Because there is a limited pool of royals with distinguished legacies to choose from, predicting the name of the royal baby has become a favorite pastime as the birth date nears. One name that keeps appearing in discussions is James. The first King James reigned in the early 17th century, and it’s been 330 years since a monarch named James held the crown.
If the royal family chooses James as the first name for their youngest son, there will still be a few more slots to fill. So far, the couple has opted for three names for each of their children, but there's no official rule limiting the number. Edward VIII, who famously abdicated the throne to George VI in 1936, carried the full name Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David.
