The 'risky' reason Kate Middleton didn't call Princess Charlotte after Princess Diana

Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte
(Image credit: Getty)

Kate Middleton decided against calling her daughter Princess Charlotte after her late grandmother Princess Diana for this 'risky' reason.

Prince William and Kate Middleton had a very good reason for not calling their daughter Princess Charlotte after Princess Diana or the Queen.

When looking for baby names for their second born child, like most parents-to-be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are likely to have looked among the old fashioned baby names and unusual baby names before making their decision.

But there was two baby girl names that were totally out of the question and these were Diana and Elizabeth because the couple had security fears over using those names.

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Instead, Prince William and Kate chose to use Princess Charlotte’s grandmother’s name and the Queen's name with her middle name: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

The name choice was discussed on Channel 5 documentary, Secrets of the Royal Palaces, in which Richard Kay, a Daily Mail royal journalist and columnist, said, "I think he very wisely decided not to give Charlotte his mother's name as her first name.

"Everything she did and said would have been compared with her.

"By giving Diana as the middle name, it means Diana is still there."

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Emily Andrews, royal editor of the Mail on Sunday, added, "William has spoken about the loss of his mother and the impact it had.

"He thinks about her pretty much every day and he wants to keep his mother's memory alive."

Princess Charlotte -Princess Charlotte of Cambridge in her pram, leaves her Christening at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, England, on July 5, 2015. Britain's baby Princess Charlotte was christened on Sunday in her second public outing since her birth nine weeks ago to proud parents Prince William and his wife Kate. The low-key ceremony took place in a church on the country estate of great grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. AFP PHOTO / POOL / CHRIS JACKSON (Photo by Chris Jackson / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

(Image credit: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

And he's not the only one as his brother Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle chose to name their second child Lilibet Diana - in tribute to both the Queen's nickname and his mother the late Princess Diana.

Unlike her bothers Prince George, eight, and Prince Louis, three, Princess Charlotte was christened at St Mary Magdalene’s Church on the Queen’s Sandringham estate.

Ms Andrews explained, "It has the history through William’s mother, Diana Spencer, as she was also christened there."

Whereas George and Louis were christened at St James' Palace, London.

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)