The Sad Family History Behind Royal Baby's Name
Prince Louis Arthur Charles was announced as the new royal baby's name this morning by Kensington Palace. And while Charles is clearly a tribute to the baby's grandfather, Prince William's dad, and heir to the throne Prince Charles, the rest of his name also has deep family history connected to it.
Time and Entertainment Tonight speculate that the Louis was inspired by Prince Charles’ great-uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten, a distinguished British Royal Navy officer who fought in World War I and World War II who was assassinated by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in 1979, Time reported. Mountbatten had been 79 years old when the IRA detonated a bomb on his boat that August; he and three others were killed, including Mountbatten's grandson.
Entertainment Tonight additionally reported that a young Charles had been close to Mountbatten and took his death really hard. The outlet cites Andrew Morton's Princess Diana book, where Morton reported that Diana's reaction to seeing Charles so grief-stricken at the funeral is what ultimately brought her and Charles together.
She allegedly told him, per Morton, that “You looked so sad when you walked up the aisle at the funeral. It was the most tragic thing I’ve ever seen. My heart bled for you when I watched it. I thought: ‘It’s wrong, you are lonely, you should be with somebody to look after you.’” After that, ET reports that Charles became more affectionate to her, they'd get married, and have their two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
There are other royal Louises in the family, too. The grandfather of Prince Philip was named Prince Louis of Battenberg. Prince George and Prince William both have Louis as their middle name. It's a name of French origin, baby name expert Sarah-Jayne Ljungstrom told Harper's Bazaar UK, and means "Famous in Battle".
Arthur, the baby's other middle name, is also Prince William's middle name. Prince William's full name is William Arthur Philip Louis.
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