The royal baby’s name has officially been revealed, four days after his birth.
The new prince arrived on St George’s Day weighing 8lbs, 7oz, after a five-hour labour at the exclusive Lindo Wing of London’s St Mary’s Hospital.
And the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have announced that he will be called Louis Arthur Charles.
The baby is the Queen’s sixth great-grandchild and fifth in line to the throne.
An official statement released this afternoon said: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles.
"The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge."
But what is the meaning behind the new tot’s name, and what titles will he have? Here’s everything you need to know.
Louis
The Royal baby’s first name could be a tribute to Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh’s uncle and the last British Viceroy of India before independence in 1947.
Mountbatten and William’s father Prince Charles were very close. He was known by the Royal Family as Uncle Dickie and was assassinated by the IRA in August 1979, three years before William was born. His boat was blown up on a fishing trip off the coast of County Sligo, Republic of Ireland.
The young prince will also share a name with his brother Prince George, whose full name is George Alexander Louis.
Louis is also one of William’s middle names.
Louis is the French and English form of the German name Ludwig, which means famous warrior or famous in battle.
Arthur
Arthur is also Prince William’s second name, so Louis will have a special connection with his dad.
The name is also famous around the world for King Arthur , the legendary British leader who, according to medieval folklore defended the country against Saxon invaders.
Another iconic Brit with the same name was Arthur Wellesley, the Duke Of Wellington who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.
Charles
An obvious one here, as the young prince’s grandfather is Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.
It’s also appropriate, as his sister Princess Charlotte’s third name is Diana – the name of her late grandmother, Diana Princess of Wales.
Speaking of his sister, Charlotte is the feminine form of Charles, so the new royal baby gets to share a name with his sister.
Aside from the immediate family connections, Charles has some history as a royal name.
There have been two kings called Charles.
Charles I was crowned King on 27th March 1625, and ruled during the outbreak of the English Civil War. He was executed on 30th January 1649 by Parliamentarians as England became a republic.
The monarchy would be restored in 1660 with the crowning of the king’s son, who became Charles II.
Surname
Royals don’t really use surnames as such, the baby prince’s full name will just be Louis Arthur Charles.
But when they need it, royals have a choice of style they can use.
Prince William was known as Captain Wales when he was in the Army, because his father Prince Charles is the Prince of Wales.
Prince Harry also opted for the Wales surname at school and in the military.
Similarly, when William and Kate’s first son George started school, he used the name George Cambridge, because the William is the Duke of Cambridge.
So it is likely that in school, Louis will be known as Louis Cambridge.
Another option is taking the name of the royal house, Mountbatten-Windsor.
That name has been the known surname for the Queen’s descendants since 1960.
When the Queen was crowned in 1952, she had the royal family name Windsor. In 1960, it was decided that all of her direct descendants should be distinguished from the rest of the Royal family by combining the surnames of herself and her husband.
Prince Philip had assumed the name of Philip Mountbatten to serve in the Royal Navy in 1947.
Prince’s titles
Until recently, the Duke and Duchess’ second son would not have been entitled to call himself a prince.
In 1917 George V decreed that the titles HRH – and so the title prince and princess – were limited to the monarch, the children of the sovereign’s sons as well as the Prince of Wales’ first grandson.
As the second grandson of the Prince of Wales, Louis would probably have been styled as Lord Mountbatten-Windsor.
But the Queen changed the rules before George’s birth, to allow all children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales to carry the title HRH. This means that the newborn will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.
Secretly A Commoner
According to royal rules, Louis will actually be a commoner.
Strictly speaking, the only people not classed as ‘commoners’ are the Sovereign and ‘peers of the realm’ – those with titles like Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron.
So while Prince William is not a commoner, because he is Duke of Cambridge, his son will be.
Even Prince Harry is still a ‘commoner’ in the eyes of the realm, although it is expected that the Queen will make him a Duke when he gets married to Meghan Markle . It’s rumoured that he’ll get made Duke of Sussex.
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