Royal princess named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

4 May 2015 02:31 pm

The baby's name was announced this afternoon by Kensington Palace, two days after the newborn's birth.  

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge decided on a name for their daughter shortly after the birth but wanted to inform the Queen personally before it was publicly released.  

There is no protocol which says the monarch needs to be consulted about the name of a newborn in the family, and senior royal sources stressed she has no expectation of being informed in person before the princess's name is made public.

However, William, who has grown especially close to his grandmother in recent years, apparently decided to afford her the honour when they met in Sandringham.

Today, the newborn met her great-grandmother, the Queen, when the family left Kensington Palace to embark on a new life in Norfolk, where the monarch is in residence. 

They had introduced the little girl – the most senior royal princess to be born for 65 years – to her brother George and to their families yesterday. 
The newborn may herald a new generation in the monarchy, but it is customary for royals to look to their past for name ideas.

The repetition of names in each generation is at least partly an effort to preserve the continuity of one of the world's oldest institutions. (Daily Mail)