Lovely little Louis
Royal baby is finally named – and Charles will be thrilled
AFTER four drawn-out days, Prince William and Kate Middleton finally announced the name of their new baby son yesterday – Louis Arthur Charles.
His first name is one of William’s own middle names, which was chosen by his father Prince Charles as tribute to his late mentor, Lord Louis Mountbatten.
Charles himself gets a sweet nod in this, his 70th birthday year, with his grandson’s second middle name. But sources say Louis was chosen simply because William and Kate liked it so much – which is no surprise as it is one of Prince George’s middle names, too.
The news came as something of a surprise to members of the public eagerly placing bets on the new fifth in line to the British throne.
In total, over £100,000 (€114,000) was wagered in the UK on guessing the name of the newborn – more than double the amount the bookies took after Princess Charlotte’s birth – according to bonuscodebets.co.uk.
Prince Louis – whose official title will be His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge – was born at 11.01am on the Lindo Wing in London’s St Mary’s Hospital on Monday. But although the royal couple appeared for a photocall with their newborn just seven hours later, William and Kate took their time in announcing the baby’s name.
On Thursday night, the prince joked that they were still ‘working on it’ and said all would be revealed ‘soon’.
Louis, which means ‘renowned warrior’ in French, has links to Prince Philip, whose grandfather was Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg. The name is also very dear to Prince Charles, whose beloved great-uncle and mentor, Earl Louis Mountbatten, was assassinated by the IRA in Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo, in 1979.
Arthur is very much a family tradition: both William and grandfather Charles have it as a middle name. It was also the name of Queen Victoria’s third son, who was said to be her favourite child.
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine, said of the couple’s choice: ‘I never gave Louis a thought, because George already had it.’