The poignant connection between Prince William and sons Prince George and Prince Louis

The Prince of Wales has a particularly poignant connection with his two sons Prince George and Prince Louis.

Whilst royal fans may be aware that the British royals have a habit of passing down traditional family names such as Elizabeth and George, the likes of Prince William and Princess Kate have also used certain monikers as a way of paying tribute to late loved ones.

There is a poignant name, for instance, linking Prince William to his sons Prince George, ten and youngest Prince Louis, five - they all share the name 'Louis'. Whilst Kate and William's youngest son has the name as his Christian name, both Prince William and Prince George have Louis as a middle name.

The Prince of Wales's full name is William Arthur Philip Louis, whilst George's full name is George Alexander Louis. And there's a very poignant back story…

It's thought that 'Louis' is a traditional nod to the late Prince Philip's uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, and the late Duke's maternal grandfather, Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg.

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William's father King Charles shared a close bond with his beloved great-uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten. And according to biographer Jonathan Dimbleby, the pair would call each other 'honorary grandfather' and 'honorary grandson'.

He served in WWI and WWII and specialised in communications. In 1947, he became the viceroy of India to oversee the British withdrawal. He eventually became the chief of the defence staff until his retirement from the navy in 1965. Aged 79, he was tragically assassinated by the IRA in August 1979 along with his grandson Nicholas Brabourne, Lady Brabourne and a 15-year-old crew member called Paul Maxwell.

Speaking about Lord Louis's death in 2015, the monarch said: "At the time, I could not imagine how we would come to terms with the anguish of such a deep loss since, for me, Lord Mountbatten represented the grandfather I never had."

He continued: "So it seemed as if the foundations of all that we held dear in life had been torn apart irreparably. Through this dreadful experience, though, I now understand in a profound way the agonies borne by so many others in these islands, of whatever faith, denomination or political tradition."

Prince William and Princess Kate's daughter Princess Charlotte also has a significant name which pays tribute to key members of the royal family. Her middle names are Elizabeth and Diana, which are nods to the late Queen Elizabeth II, Charlotte's great-grandmother, and Diana, Princess of Wales, the grandmother she sadly never got to meet.

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