Breaking Down the New Royal Baby's Name

From Town & Country

Four days after he was born, the new royal baby finally has a name: Louis Arthur Charles. Kensington Palace shared it publicly via Twitter early this morning to the delight of royal fans everywhere.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles," reads the announcement. "The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge."

As Victoria Arbiter told T&C earlier this month, members of the royal family delay in sharing their children's names publicly for several reasons.

"On one hand there's a desire to inform the families before a public declaration is made and any new parent appreciates having a little private time to get to know their new addition before the onslaught of announcements," she shared via email.

"Royals, however, also have to consider the great responsibility in naming a new member of the family and I expect they want to be a hundred percent certain of their choice before announcing the name and sealing the baby's place in history."

But what's in a name? Here's the rich meaning behind each of the little prince's monikers:

Louis

The little prince's first name, Louis, could take some people by surprise, as it wasn't one of the oddsmaker's favorites in the weeks leading up to Kate Middleton's birth. Plus, given that it is one of Prince George's middle names, many thought it was off the table for the new baby. Louis, which means "famous warrior" is also one of Prince William's middle names, and pays tribute to his uncle, the late Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was tragically murdered in an IRA bombing in 1979.

Arthur

Arthur was the favorite among bookmakers, with odds as high as 9/4 for the classic name, which means "bear," according to Nameberry.com. Rich with British history, Arthur nods to the 6th-century king, and his roundtable of knights. In addition to that legendary monarch, there have been several other royals named Arthur, including Henry VII's son, Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, and Victoria's seventh son, Prince Arthur, who was also the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. It's also one of Prince Charles's middle names, and was one of George VI's names as well.

New father Prince William even hinted that Arthur might be his little one's name on Monday when he pointed to the crowd of photographers and singled out Arthur Edwards of The Sun. Watch the clip here:

Charles

The baby's third name honors his grandfather Prince Charles. It means "free man" or "manly." Earlier this week, the Prince of Wales expressed his excitement over his new grandson. "We are both so pleased at the news," read a statement from both Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. "It is a great joy to have another grandchild, the only trouble is I don’t know how I am going to keep up with them."

The Surname

While the latest addition to the royal family will not officially have a last name, he will have several options to choose from should he need to use one. Among the choices are Windsor, as the royal family is also known as the House of Windsor, and Cambridge, given that his parents are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Prince George reportedly uses Cambridge as his surname at school, so the royal baby will likely follow suit.

The Title

In addition to each of his names, Britain's newest prince also has a lengthy title: His Royal Highness Prince Louis of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; however given that his parents are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the baby's name will be styled as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.

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