Thursday, July 25, 2013

What's in a (Royal) Name?

George Alexander Louis, the new royal prince, has three names that all have family associations on William’s side of the family which is a very strong tradition for naming eldest sons in Scotland (remember there is much Scottish blood in the Queen’s ancestry).
 The press has managed to figure out two of the three connections correctly.  They are a bit baffled by the choice of the middle of the three names, and this is strange to me because the connection is very clear indeed.
George is of course for Queen Elizabeth II’s father, King George VI.  Louis is for Lord Louis Mountbatten. 
Alexander is for the Queen Mother’s beloved brother Alexander Bowes-Lyon (1887-1911) who was called Alec by the family, and who died quite suddenly at the age of 24.  Now you know.
Perhaps at some point the parents will speak more about this choice, which is a tender one and which also suits the other two names quite well.
Congratulations to one and all.

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