After praising the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their tidy timeline on Monday, I’m now aggravated that they haven’t released the baby name yet. This is the longest they’ve made people wait for the name – with George and Charlotte, they made us wait two days. We’re well into the third day now. And it’s not like they’re doing it out of respect for Anzac Day (yesterday) or whatever: they get off on withholding information. William was out yesterday and he was almost giddy about “teasing” the name, hinting that it was sort of close to Alexander. This morning, royal reporters seemed to get a “tip” that the name “James” was involved somehow. So, whatever. Who knows.
In other news, Kensington Palace did announce what we already knew: that Prince William is going to be Harry’s best man.
Prince Harry has asked his brother The Duke of Cambridge to be his Best Man at his wedding to Ms. Meghan Markle. pic.twitter.com/7TvZ2VlEk2
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 26, 2018
The Duke of Cambridge is honoured to have been asked, and is very much looking forward to supporting his brother at St George's Chapel, Windsor on May 19th. pic.twitter.com/mQ0eh7Q0pR
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 26, 2018
Think for a moment about what a big deal it would be if William wasn’t Harry’s Best Man! There would be headlines for weeks/months/years about the snub. Anyway… I thought this was already announced, but I guess not. So there you go. The KP Twitter “pinned” these tweet too, so God knows, maybe there won’t be a baby-name announcement today after all. Sigh.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I was really hoping they’d announce the entire wedding party at once.
Definitely think we’ll be getting the baby’s name today! Doubt it’s James, though.
Richard Palmer has a Tweet that a gardener shouted out to him that it’s “Arthur”. Take that for what it’s worth 😊
Addendum: Right now on the Fail, they have an article that states the choice for first name may be Albert:
“It may be the strongest clue yet that a name has been picked for their third child, three days after the couple carried him home to Kensington Palace, West London.
A page at http://www.royal.uk/prince-albert reads Access Denied – which is the same message that greets visitors trying to visit that page or those of the newborn’s siblings.
Searches for his brother Prince George and Princess Charlotte also carry the message.
But if visitors attempt to view pages bearing other rumoured names – including Arthur and Alexander – the website simply presents the message: ‘Page Not Found.’
The identical appearance of the Albert page when compared to George’s may provide the strongest clue yet as to the impending announcement.”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5661601/Strongest-clue-Kate-Wills-new-Royal-Baby-Prince-ALBERT.html
@imqrious2: The same error message pops up if you do “princess-mary” FYI. I’ve tried several others, but that’s the only other “hit” I’ve gotten so far.
How many news cycles can the squeeze out of this baby naming wait?
Interesting! A quid on Albert at the minute, then. Hope the little fella likes music – he’s got a vast hall for himself. If I were him, I’d want to be Prince Albert, too. Shucks, I want to be Prince Albert and loll about in there with shows all to myself.
Siiigh, it’s a good bet that the infant prince is probably not going to be called Princess Mary.
Some think it might be Albert, a slip up on the royal website that gave it away. That would be so much better than Arthur.
Some sources say they are waiting for Charles to be told in person.
That’s what I think the hold up is. Out of respect to Charles meeting the baby first, before the name is announced. I still think it’s Philip!
I think it might be Phillip too, @Homeslice, both as a tribute to William’s grandfather and Kate’s sister Pippa (born Phillipa). At the very least, I think Phillip will be in the name somewhere.
Philip is also Charles’s name.
Considering what a MAJOR stick up his butt Charles has about the Middletons being closer with the grandkids, I wouldn’t doubt that he would want to see the new baby before a name goes out. (As in, if the Midds know/been there, then I need to know/BE THERE).
TQ is at Windsor with Phil, so I’m sure she’s good at just knowing the news and will see the baby bring him to visit (probably on the weekend, when Char and George aren’t in school).
JMO 😊
… and NO snr Royal visits from HM and Royal grandpa.
Very interesting whiny Bill middleton had the middletons visit ahead of the RF protocol – He and waitie rush to check out from the Lindo with #2 3 from the Lindo Wing- may be due the RF BP The Firm insist that carol/ middletons Not be on hospital steps in photo op Nor visit ahead of POW (as wanna be) Royals.
Whiny Bill may be denied more tax Duchy funding from HM POW (and renovations).
Surprised it’s Thursday and no name. Bet it’s Alexander.
Nah, it’s clear he was joking because he was talking to someone named Alexander at the time (although I wouldn’t be opposed since that was my choice for George).
I love Alexander. That’s my younger nephew’s name 😊 (Alexander Benjamin… love it!)
What’s the deal with Prince Albert being an option? Like who would want their baby’s name associated with a penile piercing?
Albert Saxe-Coburg was an awesome prince consort and the love of Victoria’s life. She decreed that every subsequent generations use his name to keep it alive. That tradition has been carried through to the present day. Prince Harry has it as a middle name.
For those family members who got it as a first name, it’s shortened to Bertie which can be confusing when discussing them as there are quite afew Berties in the family.
Price Albert of Monaco or a penile piercing, that name is closely associated with images of c0cks!
Apparently in the U.K. “a Prince Albert” also refers to a p*nis piercing so doubt it will be that. My university friends back in the U.K. have a betting pool going (if only as a reason for a group get together -the wager is a round of ciders…) After one of my friends wagered Albert, eveyone nixed his hopes by sharing its other meaning.
Lb: Regardless of it’s other meaning, Albert is a beloved family name. The Queen’s father was Prince Albert. Several of her uncles and grandfather had it as a middle name, and the most famous Prince Alberts of all in the family are Queen Victoria’s husband, her eldest son and *grandson.
*the grandson, Prince Albert Victor, is frequently the subject of Jack the Ripper mysteries. As in, he might have been Jack the Ripper.
On a different note, i’m always amazed when things i assume are common knowledge turn out to be British quirks eg Prince Albert being a nickname for something naughty. 😊
I don’t think everyone knows about that association.
They already used Alexander with PGTips (George Alexander Louis). Surprising if they re-purpose for a first name.
1
and Alexander of Sweden
Alexander is George’s middle name already.
Let us see, this is really odd. Something the royals would have planned months in advance. The names must already be settled. Waiting for Charles to be told in person? Really? I would imagine the couple, The Queen and Charles and possibly the maternal grandparents have all made suggestions and then the names are checked and approved by historians in the household.
George’s middle name is Alexander already.
People were speculating that they were waiting for Prince Charles to return from France because he hadn’t seen his new grandson yet. But who knows?
I’m hoping for James or Michael. I hate the names Albert and Arthur, if only for their ghastly nicknames.
My cousin has a little guy named Arthur (after her dad) and he’s always been known as Thor. Granted, he was three weeks over his due date and 12lbs when born, but Thor fits perfectly. Now that he’s in school, he goes by Thor and Artie in equal measures, but I personally never call him Artie.
Love that story, SOAPbox!
Those are great nicknames!!
I like the name Albert, though it’s mostly because of a great-uncle I had who was the kindest, smartest, funniest man you’d ever want to meet…so there’s sentimental value, I guess? (That said, I do hate the nickname Al, and no-one in my family ever called my Uncle Albert anything but Albert.)
My personal bet is on some combination of Philip and Arthur.
Albert isn’t a bad name on its own, but since this kid would be known as Prince Albert and this is the age of the internet, it would just be kind of mean to do that to a kid.
What’s wrong with Bert? I love the name Bert. (Just not Bertie. Too many in the RF already.) Or Art? (Although Art does rhyme with fart! And tart.) King Arthur! (Though this little boy isn’t likely to ever be king.)
Every Arthur in the royal family has died young☹
I personally would love Richard, but at this point I’m solely hoping that it isn’t Albert. I am mystified by how much I dislike it. :/
Apparently Arthur is the top choice at the betting shops…And they usually get this kind of thing pretty close.
But, I’m still guessing Leroy
As someone pointed out yesterday, Lady Sarah Chatto has a son Arthur.
I associate the name with the Dudley Moore movie.
I associate it with an old sitcom here called The King of Queens. Jerry Stiller plays the crazy father in the basement named “Arthur”. Also, I imagine some pronouncing it “Arfur”. I just don’t care for it all. If it is indeed the little bebe’s name, I hope they have a nice nickname picked out!
I saw on twitter this morning stuff about “Kensington palace announcement” and I got really excited for a minute.
So William is Harry’s best man. That seems….obvious. I wonder if Meghan will have one attendant like Kate and if so, who (Jessica Mulroney?)
I’m actually losing interest in the name. The longer they go the more I feel meh about it. I wonder if they are delaying the name to drum up interest and excitement, or to hope people feel like I do and the excitement around the birth/name goes away.
I guess this puts to rest the untruths that the reason Kate Middleton isn’t Meghan ‘ matron of honor is because it would be a step down for a (potential) future queen consort. If future King is best man to his brother, the only reason Kate Middleton is not matron of honor is because Meghan and Kate barely know each other as Meghan wants a person close to her to be there for her on her day, not just some stranger just because they both married to brothers.
I’m predicting William baby name to be Arthur Albert Philip Louis.
Louis again? They used that already for George’s name
*1000
who cares…. Bill is whining – wants a middleton name !
I thought Thomas was a big contender?
Thomas is my guess as well. Its a traditional name that isn’t currently already in use with the Royal family. I think Phillip and Michael also have a really strong chance as middle names.
Gabriel, Christopher or Christian are my bets.
That last picture of Harry -he has Charles’ facial expressions.
He does!
It won’t be Alexander. That’s George’s middle name. I have doubts about James because that is her brothers name and I doubt that they would want it to seem like they’ve named their son after a relative.
There’s also 10 year old James Wessex, Sophie and Edward’s son. But as LAK pointed out, they named their daughter (Charlotte Elizabeth Diana) two years after Earl Spencer named his latest daughter Charlotte Diana.
I meant the first name. I don’t see them using another relative’s first name for this little ones as well, especially, as you pointed out, they tend to use middle names to honor relatives.
So, what I’m saying is I see them using James as the middle name. Not the first name, so something like Christopher James, not James Christopher.
Carole and Kate have “Elizabeth” as a middle name.
Charlotte is Pippa’s middle name AND the female form of Charles. No explanation needed for the use of Diana, a lovely gesture.
Alexander is the male form for Alexandra, one of TQ’s names.
In one way or another, their children have all been named after relatives.
It would be lovely if their youngest son was named after his great/grandparents.
Can i also point out that both George and Charlotte(female version) are Charles’s middle names.
If they pick Arthur or Philip, they will have named all their children after Prince Charles…..plus other family members of course.
His full name is Charles Philip Arthur George
And William is William Arthur Philip Louis. Would it kill them to think up another name?
I was working last night and hurriedly walked past a group of twenty-somethings who were chattering about “they named him Winston??!!” I whipped out my phone to see if a name had been announced, but no. Turns out they were talking about a friend who gave her new dog that name. Maybe I’m a little too invested in this name announcement situation!!
Haha, love this.
Winston Cambridge would have been an awesome name !
“they get off on withholding information”
^this
Oh yes, plus they need something to keep the press interested. Esp as H&M are getting all the press even with baby’s arrival – they were only news for 24 hours.
Yap, this is a case of ‘don’t forget about meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee’ and ‘must hold headlines as long as poss’.
One could argue that Harry and Meghan are doing the same thing. Let’s do not forget that W & K announce the best man and the rest of the bridal party in February 2011 for their April 2011 wedding. Whereas Harry a Meghan have only just announced today that William is going to be best man – which is the least surprising news ever!. With 3 weeks to go, we still don’t know who will be maid of honor, bridesmaids, and pageboys… no doubt they will drip feed it for maximum effect.
Also, it’s worth noting it took Charles and Diana a week to announce William’s name and it took Andrew and Sarah 2 weeks to announce Beatrice’s name.
Really? Two weeks? 😳
According to Wikipedia, yes.
Yes. Because it’s THEIR business, and they are private people. Now, could you plebs push off but keep on paying us your money.
Ooooor maybe they just haven’t decided yet. Just a thought.
Meh maybe they will announce it monday.
My bet is Alexander James Philip 😉
But ins’t Alexander one of George’s names? It would be weird if this child’s given name is his elder brother’s middle name.
Edward is one of Prince Andrew’s middle names so that might not matter.
The Duke of Kent has a grandson named Albert. Lots of Alberts.
Could Williams’s penchant for the tight fit pant have started in childhood? In that photo with Harry as kids he looks like he outgrew a size and no one took him shopping.
“he looks like he outgrew a size and no one took him shopping.” Ok, that made me laugh!
“they get off on withholding information”
LOL I’m quite surprised you didn’t make the absurdist leap to say they’re doing it to “pull focus” from the H & M nuptials!
Yes, perhaps they just can’t make up their minds, or come to an agreement. But then there would be no story.
Pretty sure they are simply waiting to introduce him to family first. Grampy Charles has only just returned from France, as he had a wreath-laying ceremony there yesterday.
The KP announcement says the wedding is May 19th. Shouldn’t that be 19th May?
Poor Jason the PR guy is American
Thank you, I forgot about that. But 1. There’s no second pair of eyes on what goes out? Just Poor Jason? and 2. According to his CV he’s been in UK for many years. Wouldn’t that habit have changed by now?
Your Mom: KP frequently sends out notices that weren’t proof read.
American comms director.
I wonder if there is some sort of problem with the name. Some celebrities go out and trademark or buy website names with their baby’s name to try to protect them. Maybe all the guesses were spot on, someone went and set up a website for Prince Arthur Cambridge and the Cambridges are trying to negotiate to buy the name back? There are a lot of weird considerations surrounding names these days.
Either that or the Queen demanded that they not name him Philbert (Phillip-Albert).
W&K did that with their titles. Did they also do that with their kids names?
Philbert made me laugh.
I read that it took a week for Charles and Diana to announce William’s name. I vaguely remember people getting really impatient.
Still think it’s Arthur or Michael. And maybe James as the middle name after Kate’s brother?
I don’t remember if it was here or elsewhere, but someone guessed Arthur Philip Michael, which I think sounds kinda nice.
Daily mail says that it will be announced today.
I think the baby’s name will be Alexander.
I can imagine it being James. It would go well with their other kids names.
I’m putting my money on Doug or Jayden. I kid I kid…
Loving that photo of them when they were little.
The name is all I care about. LOL Let’s get on with the announcement people! Surly he’s named already and it just hasn’t been released.
I’m starting to doubt the name will be released today. Tomorrow I hope. Now I’m guessing Arthur Michael Philip.
I bet they named him Kanye. 😉
Prince Kanye Chicago East.
I hope it’s not Arthur. Ugly name!
Harry was such a cute little boy. He looks so much like Charles now and more so when his hair is completely gone.
Now people are saying Albert. This is based off changes to the Royal Family website. Apparently a page has been reserved for “Prince Albert” hmmm.
My preference is Albert only because I don’t care for Arthur. But, if the site has already been reserved, that’s a good bet it’ll be Albert. So, I’m going with Albert Philip Michael, with the Albert in recognition of Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria and not their son Edward VII, formerly Prince Albert who had all kinds mess going on with his personal life.
Since the first Albert, Victoria’s hubby, there have been too many Alberts in that family = all her sons were given the name, two grandsons (Albert Victor + George 5), 3 great grandsons (Queen’s father and 2 of his brothers, Henry and David), one of the Queen’s sons (Andrew) and Prince Harry.
If this child is named Albert, he’ll be one more in a very long line of Alberts in the family.
“princess-mary” renders the same error message (yes, I confess, I ran through just about every name I could think of with that same web address and the only other name that gave an “Access Denied” message was Mary).
Aw, if it was a girl, they were going to name her Mary? That’s the name I wanted for their little princess.
I submit Henry Alexander James …
would they give both sons the same middle name? george is george alexander louis