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The Unique Meaning Behind Every Single Royal Family Member's Name

From Queen Elizabeth all the way down to Prince Louis.

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When it comes to naming their children, the royals have a tendency to reuse family favorites: Five of of the female royals share Queen Elizabeth's name and three male royals have Prince Philip's name. Kate Middleton and Prince William know the stress, which is why it took them five days to make a final decision about Louis. Find out which royals share monikers, and how far back their names date.

1

Queen Elizabeth II

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Full Name: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary

Title: Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

Birthday: April 21, 1926

Parents: King George VI and the Queen Mother (Elizabeth)

2

Meaning of the Name

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Elizabeth: When King George VI and his wife welcomed their first daughter, they decided to give her the name of her mother: Elizabeth. As the eldest child, Princess Elizabeth became the Queen after her father's passing. When she ascended the throne, her mother — who was also Queen Elizabeth — was given the new title of Queen Mother to avoid any confusion.

Alexandra: Queen Elizabeth's grandfather, Edward VII, married Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1861, and the two had six children. Her second name was likely given to her as a tribute to her grandmother who died suddenly from a heart attack just one year before Elizabeth was born.

Mary: The Queen's third name was a nod to her father's mother, Mary of Teck.

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3

Prince Charles

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Full Name: Charles Philip Arthur George

Title: His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales

Birthday: November 14, 1948

Parents: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

4

Meaning of the Name

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Charles: The name Charles ironically means "free man," something many might say the Prince of Wales isn't since he's second in line to the throne, and therefore has to follow many strict rules.

Philip: Charles' second middle name was given to him as a nod to his father, Prince Philip. Since Charles received the name, it has been continually given to royal males in line for the throne.

Arthur: The name of the medieval mythical King Arthur was also a name of King George VI — Prince Charles' grandfather. Now it's part of Charles' son's and grandson's names too.

George: The moniker is an ode to the Queen's father, King George VI, who passed away when Charles was just four, leaving the throne to his daughter.

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5

Prince William

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Full Name: William Arthur Philip Louis

Title: His Royal Highness Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

Birthday: June 21, 1982

Parents: Prince Charles and Princess Diana

6

Meaning of the Name

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William: Princess Diana threw a curveball when she decided on the name William, a moniker that's been used less frequently by royals. She was reportedly told that whatever she picked had to sound good with "King" in front of it since Will is third in the line of succession. However, he can choose to go by a different name when he becomes the monarch if he wants.

Arthur: This was a highly speculated name for William's third son, Prince Louis, and it was what Prince Charles wanted his first son to be named. Though Princess Diana said "no" to the first name, she compromised and made Arthur his second name instead.

Philip: When William was born, it was the second time the name Philip was given to a royal family member to honor the Queen's husband, Prince Philip.

Louis: The name meaning "renowned warrior," went on to become Prince William's second son's name. It's thought that the name was passed from Prince Philip's favorite uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten.

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7

Prince George

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Full name: George Alexander Louis

Title: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge

Birthday: July 22, 2013

Parents: Prince William and Kate Middleton

8

Meaning of the Name

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George: The future King's name actually comes from that of a previous one: Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI.

Alexander: George's second name pays homage to the Queen, whose middle name is Alexandra. Kate reportedly loved the name Alexandra at the time, so if George was a girl, it's likely we'd know a Princess Alexandra.

Louis: Prince William passed along his fourth name to Prince George. Again, the moniker is likely a tribute to George's great grandfather's favorite uncle.

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9

Princess Charlotte

Princess Charlotte 
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Full Name: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

Title: Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

Birthday: May 2, 2015

Parents: Prince William and Kate Middleton

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Meaning of the Name

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Charlotte: The name is the female version of Charles, who is Prince William's father, and, coincidentally, the middle name of Kate Middleton's sister, Pippa Middleton.

Elizabeth: Charlotte's second moniker is a nod to not only the Queen, but also the Queen Mother.

Diana: Prince William wanted some way to pay tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana, who tragically passed away in a car crash in Paris — luckily, he had a daughter to pass the name on to.

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11

Prince Louis

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Full Name: Louis Arthur Charles

Title: His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge

Birthday: April 23, 2018

Parents: Prince William and Kate Middleton

12

Meaning of the Name

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Louis: The name holds a special meaning to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's family — all three males share it. It is likely that the moniker comes from Prince Philip's favorite uncle, Lord Louis of Mountbatten.

Arthur: The new royal baby shares his second name with both his father, Prince William and his grandfather, Prince Charles. The name could be a nod to the mythical King Arthur who was a well-known monarch in medieval times.

Charles: Prince Louis actually shares two names with his grandfather — Arthur and Charles.

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13

Prince Harry

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Full Name: Henry Charles Albert David

Title: His Royal High Prince Henry of Wales

Birthday: September 15, 1984

Parents: Prince Charles and Princess Diana

14

Meaning of the Name

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Henry: He's more commonly known as Prince Harry now, but that's just a nickname. Princess Diana and Prince Charles gave him the name Henry when he was born. Henry has German origins and means "estate ruler." (Harry means the same thing).

Charles: The name Charles was passed down to Prince Harry from his father, and he now shares the moniker with his nephew, Prince Louis.

Albert: This was what Prince Charles had envisioned calling his second son, but it was not what Princess Diana wanted, according to an interview published in the 1992 book, Diana: Her Story. Albert was the name given to Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI, at birth. (He chose George when he became monarch.)

David: The name David means "beloved," which Prince Harry and his soon-to-be-wife, Meghan Markle, have very much become in recent years. David was the seventh name given to former King Edward VIII — the Queen's uncle (better known as the Duke of Windsor).

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15

Prince Andrew

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Full Name: Andrew Albert Christian Edward

Title: His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York

Birthday: February 19, 1960

Parents: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

16

Meaning of the Name

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Andrew: As we saw played out in Netflix's The Crown, the Queen still had a decent relationship with her uncle, Edward VIII, though he gave up the throne, ultimately destining her to become the monarch. Despite his choices, she basically rearranged his name to create Prince Andrew's. Her uncle's full name was Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David. While we like that idea, it's more likely that they named their second son after Prince Philip's father who was Prince of Denmark and Greece.

Albert: Queen Victoria's husband was named Albert, as was Queen Elizabeth's father (reminder: he later went by George, his fourth name, when he became King).

Christian: Christian was the third name given to Andrew's great uncle, King Edward VIII.

Edward: Again, this was the name of King George VI's brother, and it also ended up being the name of Andrew's younger brother.

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17

Princess Beatrice

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Full Name: Beatrice Elizabeth Mary

Title: Princess Beatrice of York

Birthday: August 8, 1988

Parents: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson

18

Meaning of the Name

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Beatrice: Prince Andrew and his now ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, named their first daughter Beatrice, which means "she who brings happiness."

Elizabeth: The Queen's second granddaughter was also given her famous name.

Mary: The princess actually shares two names with her grandmother — Elizabeth and Mary, both of which hold special meaning to King George VI. Not only was Mary of Teck, his mother, but he also had a sister named Mary.

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19

Princess Eugenie

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Full Name: Eugenie Victoria Helena

Title: Princess Eugenie of York

Birthday: March 23, 1990

Parents: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson

20

Meaning of the Name

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Eugenie: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson named their second daughter Eugenie, a name that had been used in the royal family before, but not since Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Victoria Eugenie.

Victoria: It seems that Andrew and Sarah merely swapped the order of the names of the late Princess Victoria Eugenie to get their second daughter's name. The name is still popular today, as we know many famous women with it — Victoria Woodhull and Victoria Beckham.

Helena: The moniker is of Greek origin, meaning "bright, shining light." It's still very much popular in today's culture thanks to Helena Bonham Carter and Helena Christensen.

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