When Prince William and Kate Middleton decided to name their only daughter Princess Charlotte, they tried to honour William’s late mother Princess Diana, in her name.
But, they were also aware of the fact that it cannot be the first name of the late Princess.
“Had it been the first name, I think it would have been terrible for the child,” royal commentator Richard Kay told Vanity Fair. “There would have been constant comparisons with Diana, and William wouldn’t have wanted that.”
The full name of William and Kate’s daughter is Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
Upon her birth on May 2, 2015, William and Kate opted for this name to honour both grandmother Diana and great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.
They also paid a subtle tribute to King Charles, as Charlotte serves as the female counterpart to the reigning monarch’s name.
Princess Diana was killed in a tragic car accident in 1997.
By using Diana as one of Charlotte’s two middle names, “it’s a tribute to his mother and a way of ensuring Diana is always remembered,” Kay said.
According to The Daily Express, after Charlotte’s birth nine years ago, Diana’s friend Simone Simmons had said that the late Princess of Wales would have been “over the moon” with William and Kate’s choice for what would be their only daughter’s name.
“It’s William’s way of honouring his mother’s memory,” she said. “A way of making sure Diana’s legacy lives on. This way, she will never be forgotten.”
“When Diana was alive, William promised her when he was King [that] Diana would have her HRH restored. This is his way of doing it,” Simmons added.
Prince William’s younger brother and Diana’s second son Prince Harry also honoured their late mother by naming his own daughter after Diana.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle opted to honour Diana in the middle name of their daughter, by naming her Princess Lilibet Diana upon her birth on June 4, 2021.
