Britain’s Little Prince Gets a Name

The little prince has a name: George Alexander Louis.

The announcement Wednesday that Prince William and his wife had selected a moniker steeped in British history came as royal officials suggested the new parents are seeking quiet time away from the flashbulbs and frenzy that accompanied the birth of their first child.

While the news put to rest intense curiosity over what name the couple would choose, the timing and interest around it show how the two-day-old future heir is already on his way to a lifetime of fanfare and public glare.

Kensington Palace on Wednesday said William and Kate were “delighted to announce” their son’s name, adding that baby will be known as “His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.”

The name George — borne by six previous kings — befits the boy now third in line to the British throne. It was the name chosen for his reign by Queen Elizabeth II’s father, George VI, who rallied the nation during World War II.

Alexander is a name shared by three medieval Scottish kings, and the name Louis could be a tribute to Lord Louis Mountbatten, uncle to the queen’s husband, Philip, and the last British Viceroy of India before that nation gained its independence in 1947. William’s father, Prince Charles, was close to Mountbatten, who was assassinated by the Irish Republican Army in 1979.

Palace officials say William and Kate are spending “private and quiet time for them to get to know their son.”

Some of their discussions may revolve around figuring out how to shield him from intense public and media interest.

This article appeared in print on page 2 of the July 25th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.