In Naming Princess Charlotte, Prince William Poignantly Fulfilled a Long Ago Promise to His Late Mother, Princess Diana

When it came time to name their only daughter, the Prince and Princess of Wales (then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) knew they wanted to honor William’s late mother, Princess Diana, in her name—but also knew it couldn’t be the first name.

“Had it been the first name, I think it would have been terrible for the child,” royal commentator Richard Kay told Vanity Fair. “There would have been constant comparisons with Diana, and William wouldn’t have wanted that.” 

Instead, upon her birth on May 2, 2015, William and Kate opted for the name Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, honoring both Diana—who died when William was 15 years old in a 1997 car accident—and Queen Elizabeth, Charlotte’s great-grandmother. Her first name, Charlotte, is also the female form of Charles, as in her grandfather King Charles (then Prince Charles), and Charlotte also happens to be her aunt Pippa Middleton Matthews’ middle name.

Using Diana as one of Charlotte’s two middle names means that “This way it’s a tribute to his mother and a way of ensuring Diana is always remembered,” Kay added. Diana’s other son, Prince Harry, also opted to honor Diana in the middle name of his own daughter with wife Meghan Markle, naming her Princess Lilibet Diana upon her June 4, 2021 birth.

At the time of Charlotte’s birth nine years ago, Diana’s friend Simone Simmons said, per The Daily Express, that the late Princess of Wales would have been “over the moon” with William and Kate’s choice for what would be their only daughter’s name.

“It’s William’s way of honoring his mother’s memory,” she said. “A way of making sure Diana’s legacy lives on. This way, she will never be forgotten.”

Simmons added, movingly, that “When Diana was alive, William promised her when he was King [that] Diana would have her HRH restored. This is his way of doing it.”

Indeed, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana was given the Her Royal Highness designation at birth—which she will carry for the rest of her life.