Prince William and Princess Kate “In Fits of Laughter” Over Royal Baby Name Suggestions

Every couple goes through the first-time-parent experience of choosing the perfect baby name, but very few have the added pressure of naming a future king or queen. Knowing the pressure was on, Prince William and Princess Kate went through several baby names in 2013, before choosing the historically-royal name of Prince George Alexander Louis. According to The Mirror’s royal editor, Russell Myers, before they settled on Prince George’s historic name there were a few more humorous suggestions along the way.

According to Myers’ upcoming biography, William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, Prince William and Princess Kate had a hard time agreeing on a name, especially when the gender of their first baby was a surprise. “Catherine had her heart set on Alexander for a boy or Alexandra (also Queen Elizabeth’s middle name) for a girl,” Myers revealed in his book. “William had privately voiced his preference for having a girl, and was keen to incorporate a tribute to his late mother, most likely in the form of a middle name.”

Luckily, a friend stepped in with a book of baby names to help with their decision. Russell Myers’ book reveals that the couple “spent hours thumbing through” the many choices listed in the baby name book. “They often ended up in fits of laughter after one or the other had presented a more left-field suggestion,” Myers shared in his book. According to royal sources, Prince William would tease his press team with outlandish name suggestions, joking with them by asking, “what do you think about Rodney for a boy, or maybe Graham?” These not-quite-royal names received laughs all around.

The royal couple eventually settled on a shortlist if the baby were a boy: George or Louis. Those names would eventually be a part of history books, as Prince George was born in 2013 and Prince Louis in 2018.