Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, would have been “criticised” by ardent royalists for choosing a name like Princess Eugenie has for her child, a royal commentator has said.
But Pauline Maclaran, author of the 2015 book Royal Fever, told Express.co.uk that had the Waleses chosen a more unusual name, it may well have been popular with the younger generation.
Unlike those further down the line of succession, heirs do not have as much liberty when it comes to choosing baby names.
Instead, they have to be “mindful of the tradition and heritage they embody” when naming their offspring, she explained.
Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank announced that she gave birth to her second son, called Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, on May 30.
Just as with her first son August, the 33-year-old broke with tradition and posted on Instagram to share the happy news of the family’s new arrival.
Ernest, who is now 13th in line to the throne, moving Prince Edward down to 14th place, “is named after his great great great Grandfather George, his Grandpa George and my Grandpa Ronald”, according to her Instagram post.
The baby’s name does act as a subtle nod to tradition as King George V’s middle name was Ernest and baby Brooksbank’s middle names pay tribute to Jack’s late father George Brooksbank and Eugenie’s maternal grandfather, Major Ronald Ferguson.
Ms Maclaran believes that had William and Kate chosen this name say for Prince Louis, it might have caused some consternation.
But generally as one is further down the line of succession, it is acceptable for a child to be given a more unique name.
She explained that royals who are not in direct line to the throne, especially non-working royals, are “freer to name their children according to their personal preferences”.
Ernest’s older brother called August, nicknamed “Augie” and Princess Beatrice named her daughter Sienna. Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips named his children Savannah and Isla.
Meanwhile, Zara and Mike Tindall have called their children Mia, Lena and Lucas. And Prince Harry stepped away from tradition in a sense, naming his children Archie and Lilibet, after Queen Elizabeth’s nickname.
Ms Maclaran believes that as time goes on, it is unlikely that this will change in the future as names are a way of keeping with tradition.
She added: “The choice of their children’s names reflects that heritage and its perpetuation so I think it’s very unlikely that George will change that by choosing less traditional names in the future.”
Members of the Royal Family reportedly share their choices with the Monarch before announcing the child’s name.
But that’s not to say that the Sovereign has to approve of the name, although they can veto them. The Monarch does however decide which titles will be bestowed upon the royal baby.
Ms Maclaran’s 2015 book Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture is available here.
