Prince William and Princess Kate Couldn't Have Gotten Away With Baby Names Like Ernest and August, Royal Author Says

Princess Eugenie recently announced the happy news that she had welcomed her son Ernest on May 30, her second child after son August, 2.

While Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank chose names for both children that honored some of their ancestors, it's undeniable that Ernest and August aren't really "typical" royal names by any means.

That's why one royal author and commentator doesn't think Prince William and Princess Kate could have gotten away with choosing names like these ones for their own children—simply because of their position in the line of succession.

"They would have been criticized by ardent royalists, I think, who would have seen this as a departure from royal tradition," Pauline Maclaran, a professor of marketing and consumer research at Royal Holloway University and author of Royal Fever, told Express.

"However, this departure might equally well have been welcomed by a younger generation, many of whom feel the monarchy is an outdated institution."

Maclaran added that royals who are less likely to accede to the throne, and non-working royals, are "freer to name their children according to their personal preferences."

Think: Zara, Archie, Savannah, Sienna...

For the expert, that's the way things are, and it's not going to change anytime soon.

"The choice of their children’s names reflects that heritage and its perpetuation so I think it’s very unlikely that George will change that by choosing less traditional names in the future," she said.

In case you don't know this, Prince William (who is first in line to the throne) and Princess Kate are parents to Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.