Lilibet Diana is not the first royal baby to share a name and she won't be the last

As with anything Harry and Meghan do, when they named their newborn daughter Lilibet Diana as a tribute to the Queen and Harry's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, it lit up the media and royal twitter with the fury of a thousand suns. The Sussex's are now lawyering up. I've even waded into the controversy by firing up my blog again! 

Lilibet is a name from the Queen's childhood, used by parents, late-husband, cousins, and close friends. Stories abound around the origin of the name. Her parents or grandparents gave it to her. Princess Margaret 'bestowed' it on her older sister because she could not pronounce it. In fact the nickname has a simpler origin, the Queen gave it to herself at 2 1/2 years old because she could not pronounce her own name. If she had known the nickname would set off a controversy 95 years later, would she have pronounced something different?  Who knows the mind of a 2 1/2 year old. 

Choosing the name for a royal baby can be fraught with complexities we mere mortals can only imagine. There's the fury of royal twitter, and potential global disapproval to contend with. In the oft chance the baby becomes monarch, a suitable name is required. No Apple, Dylan, North, Chicago or Dream, please. Instead, we have names imbrued with royal history that sound heavy, stale and old fashioned. The Queen herself was named after her mother. In 1926, her father, the Duke of York (later King George VI), wrote to his own father, King George V, hoping 'there won't be a muddle over two Elizabeths in the family'. Everyone seems to have survived until now. 

Because family tree names get recycled, sometimes royals share them. In some cases, whether they like it or not. In Queen Victoria's day, she insisted that her female descendants bear the name Victoria and male line descendants, Albert. Although Albert is still around, the name Victoria is infrequently used. It did not come back into rotation until the 1966 birth of Princess Alexandra's daughter, Marina Victoria Alexandra Ogilvy. The next appearance was in 1990, with the birth of Princess Eugenie Victoria Helena. In its place we have Elizabeth. Apparently you can never have enough Elizabeths in the family!

Lilibet Diana is not the first royal baby to share a name with another family member. And she won't be the last. Here are some examples of royal children, including siblings, who have shared names without causing any controversy or lawsuits whatsoever.

Alexander

Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge

Alexander Patrick Gregers Richard, Earl of Ulster

Prince Richard Alexander Walter George, Duke of Gloucester

James Alexander Philip Theo, Viscount Severn

Alexander Charles Ogilvy, son of James Ogilvy

Christian Alexander Mowatt, son of Marina Ogilvy

Edward

Prince Edward Antony Richard Louis, Earl of Wessex

Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward, Duke of York

Prince Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick, Duke of Kent

Lord Nicholas Charles Edward Jonathan Windsor


Elizabeth

Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, Princess Royal

Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge

Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary of York

Zara Anne Elizabeth Tindall

Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor

Lady Sarah Frances Elizabeth Chatto

Lady Davina Elizabeth Alice Benedikte Lewis

Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong Jones

Lena Elizabeth Tindall

James

James Alexander Philip Theo, Viscount Severn

James Robert Bruce Ogilvy

Nicholas

Prince Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick, Duke of Kent

Lord Nicholas Charles Edward Jonathan Windsor

George Philip Nicholas, Earl of St Andrews

Charles

Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales

Prince Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex

Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge

David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon

Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley

Lord Nicholas Charles Edward Jonathan Windsor

Philip

Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales

Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge

James Alexander Philip Theo, Viscount Severn

August Philip Hawke Brooksbank

Lucas Philip Tindall

George

Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge

Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales

George Philip Nicholas, Earl of St Andrews

Prince Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick, Duke of Kent

© Marilyn Braun 2021

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