Duke and Duchess of Cambridge reveal name of royal baby

The name of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge‘s newborn son has been revealed.

The royal couple have named their third child Louis Arthur Charles, Kensington Palace revealed via Twitter today.

The prince will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.

Is Prince Louis of Cambridge in line to the throne?

Prince Louis of Cambridge is fifth in line to the throne, behind Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. It is the first time in history that a princess has been given the right to the crown over a brother courtesy of the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013.

Why Louis?

The moniker certainly runs in the family, as it is Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George’s middle name.

Fans of The Crown, may also note that it is a possible tribute to Lord Louis Mountbatten who shared a strong bond with the Prince of Wales throughout his childhood.

Charles’ great-uncle, he was assassinated by the IRA in 1979.

How popular is the name Louis?

Louis is currently the 71st most popular name for a baby boy in England and Wales, ranking just behind the likes of Teddy, Harvey, Hugo and Reggie.

Though the moniker is sure to steal a top spot due to the undeniable royal effect.

Harry was the top name for 2018 following his engagement announcement to Meghan Markle and George came in at number four while Charlotte was 13th.

Other royals with the name Louis

Louis XIV (known as Louis the Great or the Sun King) reigned as King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715.

Another royal Louis is Louis VIII. Known as ‘the Lion’, he was King of France from 1223 to 1226. He also claimed the title King of England from 1216 to 1217.

Celebrities with the name Louis

Other famous men with the moniker include the likes of Louis Theroux, Louis Armstrong, Louis Tomlinson and Louis Walsh.

Which other baby names were in the running?

Arthur, James, Alexander and Philip were all thought to be contenders.

Arthur was a clear frontrunner in the betting stakes and is now sure to make royal punters across the nation rub their hands with glee, as the couple decided on the now-popular name as a middle moniker for the newborn.

Just this morning, the name Albert caused a flurry of excitement. Eagle-eyed royal fans though they had worked out that the new prince was named Albert thanks to a bit of website detective work by the Daily Mail.

What do the experts think of the royal baby name?

“William and Kate have chosen a timeless and traditional name to complement their older children’s name choices,” says SJ Strum, a baby name expert from ChannelMum.

“The dutiful couple are mindful of their royal responsibilities and have selected a name which works on three levels – as a suitably grand royal name, on the international stage as the new prince will be known across the globe, and also a moniker which is already popular in playgrounds and matches their desire to give their children as ‘normal’ a childhood as possible.”

Associate editor of Netmums, Jo Wheatley, also says: “It’s so exciting to finally have a name for the new royal baby, Louis Arthur Charles. Louis is a surprising choice – a name that wasn’t mentioned in our forum when we asked users for royal name suggestions, nor is it in the official top 100 names.”

She added, “Louis is a historic royal name, in fact Prince William and Prince George both have Louis as a middle name. Many of our users are already commenting in our that they think it’s refreshing to have a more unusual first name for the new royal baby, and are liking the fact that the royal couple have paid tribute to Grandad, Prince Charles.”

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, adds: “This is a tribute to Prince Philip’s uncle, the colourful and controversial Lord Louis Mountbatten. Louis is of French origin and would not have been a likely choice if the prince was likely one day to be king. William 1V was a third son who became king but Louis is fifth in line to the throne and this is highly unlikely.”

Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s names

George and Charlotte also have royally-approved monikers.

Prince George’s name pays tribute to his grandfather, Prince Charles, whose middle name is George.

While, Princess Charlotte’s middle names, Elizabeth and Diana, pay reference to her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and her late grandmother, Princess Diana.

Why did it take so long for the couple to announce the news?

Like every parent, it is likely that they wished to tell family and friends before announcing the news to the world. This past week has also been packed with royal engagements and the announcement would have overshadowed Anzac Day.

The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted to St Mary’s Hospital before 6am on 23rd April in the ‘early stages of labour’.

The 36-year-old welcomed her third child with Prince William by her side at 11.01am, Kensington Palace confirmed via Twitter.

Seven hours later, the royal couple emerged for a history-making photocall on the steps of the now-famous Lindo Wing.

For the momentous occasion, Kate Middleton donned Jenny Packham for a third time but for her third appearance, opted for a poppy red hue.

Royal fans were quick to note that the look seemingly paid sartorial tribute to Princess Diana who donned a similar look when presenting Prince Harry to the world back in 1984.

After a big day for elder siblings – Prince George and Princess Charlotte – the family headed back to Kensington Palace to spend time with the new addition to their family.

On Wednesday, Prince William spoke out about becoming a father-of-three for the first time and revealed that Prince Louis was ‘behaving himself so far’.

For those hoping for a family portrait, sit tight, as the royal couple are sure to share a sweet snap in the near future.

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Royal baby birth: Why was the Duchess of Cambridge’s third birth slower than the last?

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