The Duke and Duchess’ oldest child, Prince George, almost had an entirely different name – and one that Kate ‘had her heart set’ on for quite some time, according to an expert.
According to MyLondon, Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born on July 22, 2013, at St Mary’s Hospital in London, and is third in line to the throne after his father, Prince William, and grandfather, Prince Charles.
Each component of the Prince’s name is a nod to previous members of the royal line. The name “George” is a nod to his great-great-grandfather, King George VI (the Queen’s father).
Alexander, the first of Prince George’s middle names, pays homage to the Queen, whose full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.
It was also revealed that Alexandra was one of Kate’s preferred girl’s names if she were to have a girl – despite the fact that she ended up naming her daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
George’s middle name is Louis, which is also the middle name of his father, Prince William, whose full name is William Arthur Philip Louis. It is also possible that the name was chosen to honour Lord Louis Mountbatten, Prince Philip’s uncle who was assassinated by the IRA in 1979.
However, the Prince was supposed to be named Alexander rather than George.
The Duchess of Cambridge had her “heart set on” the name Alexander, according to royal expert Katie Nicholl, albeit the couple had not decided for sure.
Nicholl said: “Courtiers insisted the pair had not found out the sex of their unborn baby, and friends close to the couple claim William wanted a surprise.
“Although Kate apparently suspected it was a boy and had set her heart on the name Alexander, they had not yet decided what to call their firstborn.”
For unknown reasons, they altered their minds and chose George as his middle name instead, while Alexander was given as his middle name.
Nicholl went on to say that during her pregnancy, the Duchess frequently referred to her baby belly as ‘our little grape,’ and that she had a feeling she was carrying a boy since he kicked so much.
“When I saw William a few weeks before the birth he said they didn’t know [the baby’s sex] and didn’t want to find out” a friend of the couple is quoted as saying.
“He said there are so few surprises in life—this was one he wanted to keep.
“Kate said she thought it was a boy because the baby kicked so much.”
It has also been reported that Prince William and Kate’s beloved dog Lupo was a big part in choosing Prince George’s name.
According to The Times, they wrote all the possible names on pieces of paper, placed them on the floor of their home, and let Lupo in to observe which piece of paper he went over to – and it is believed he chose George.
