Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge Is a "Very Appropriate and Significant Name," Says Royal Biographer

Get the scoop on the meaning behind the royal baby's moniker

By Alyssa Toomey Jul 24, 2013 7:20 PMTags
Duchess of Cambridge, Prince of Cambridge, Prince William, Royal Baby, Kate MiddletonAP Photo/John Stillwell

Welcome to the world, Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge!

Now that Prince William and Kate Middleton's son has been fitted with a royally fabulous name, it's time to talk the significance of the future King of England's moniker.

"With George we have a traditional, classic name with historical connotations," Christopher Warwick, royal biographer and historian tells E! News. "It might not be too imaginative, but it isn't too surprising." 

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The name is particularly significant because the little one will one day become King George VII, the 43rd English monarch, assuming his father and grandpa Prince Charles both take the throne.

"In a royal context it is a very appropriate and significant name because it means that maybe one day in the dim and distant future this child would become George VII," Warwick explains.

The third in line to the throne is believed to be named for his great-great-grandfather George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth II. Louis is possibly derived from Prince Philip's uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, with whom Prince Charles had a close relationship and the last British Viceroy of India before independence in 1947.

Alexander could be a reference to old Kings of Scotland and it's also the male version of Alexandra, the queen's middle name and a top female name contender.

Warwick also says the name George could be a partial tribute to proud grandpa Prince Charles.

"If you look through royal history, there are any number of names they could have chose," Warwick says. "I think what they have done—since Prince Charles' full name is Charles Philip Arthur George—there is in some oblique way a compliment to the baby's grandfather, the Prince of Wales. There is also a compliment of course to his grandfather, George VI, and his great-great-grandfather, George V. Obviously by the numbers we have already had six King Georges, and this little chap if he ever became king would be George VI. Unless of course he decided to be King Alexander I or King Louis I, and that is always an option." 

While there is no official protocol for naming the royal heir, Warwick believes the parents wanted to keep with tradition when choosing their son's title.

PHOTO: Check out Kate Middleton's birthing suite

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"Yes I do believe that it was one of Kate and William's top choices for a boy," he says. "People have asked me a lot if there is a protocol or must they follow a pattern for names, and the answer is no. We do perceive Kate and William as being a very modern royal couple, but this couple is also very mindful of their heritage." 

And now the name George is officially hip and traditional.

"George is quite cool, or from now on George will be quite cool," Warwick says. "For quite a long time, Arthur was a chosen name for its royal connotations and Arthur might well have been in the running. I'm not surprised at at all that George has been decided. I'm only slightly disappointed that [Kate and William] weren't a bit more original, but having said that, they do have the ways of royal heritage and royal history behind it."

—Reporting by Baker Machado