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Pippa Middleton

New little princess is named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

Maria Puente
USA TODAY
The new royal baby, born May 2, has been named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

Introducing HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.

Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge announced Monday they are naming their second child Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

She will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Kensington Palace said in a news release and in tweets.

As expected, they released the name after great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and other senior royals had been informed.

The newest little Windsor, fourth-in-line to the throne, was born Saturday at 8:34 a.m. London time, less than three hours after her mother checked into St Mary's Hospital. She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces.

Less than 10 hours later, after a short visit by big brother Prince George, the couple left the hospital to return to Kensington Palace, and the palace press office tweeted a closeup of the baby.

The couple also tweeted their thanks to the hospital staff for their care and to everyone else, including President Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron, for their warm wishes.

The three names are both traditional and sentimental: Elizabeth for her great-grandmother and her great-great grandmother. Diana for Will's late, beloved mother.

And Charlotte is the feminine version of Charles, her paternal grandfather. Plus, it's been the name of princesses and queens in the past.

Prior to the announcement and the birth, bettors in Britain had made Alice and Charlotte the favorites. Diana had been favored by Americans, according to YouGov surveys of both countries.

But naming the queen's fifth great-grandchild after William's late and much-loved mother, Princess Diana, was considered less likely because it's not a traditional royal-family name used by multiple ancestors.

The new princess will be christened, probably in about three months, at which time her godparents will be named. Once again, Brits are telling reporters they hope Will's brother, Prince Harry, and Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton, will be chosen.

In the meantime, the Cambridges are expected to move north to their country retreat, Anmer Hall, on the royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk, which will become their main home for the time being.

Although Diana is not her first name, it is included among her names, which will still thrill fans of the late Princess of Wales. Royal babies typically get at least three, sometimes four names.

Diana was considered unlikely as a first name partly because of its tragic associations, partly because it seemed a heavy burden for a royal child to bear the name of such an iconic figure.

The name was greeted with widespread approval on Twitter, including from Diana's brother and Will's maternal uncle, the Earl Spencer, who noted his youngest daughter is named Charlotte Diana.

On the other hand, Charlotte has its own tragic associations, albeit much older: an early 19th-century Princess of Wales who died in childbirth and was mourned as intensely as Diana.

Still, naming her after Prince Charles, who said before the birth he was hoping for a granddaughter, is likely to delight the Prince of Wales. And it's Pippa Middleton's middle name, too.

Plus, Chelsea Clinton named her new baby Charlotte, so there's an American "Princess Charlotte" in the offing if her grandmother is elected the first woman president in 2016.

One of the British betting companies, Ladbrokes, said it would be paying out more than $1 million to bettors who guessed Charlotte, but would do so "with a smile," according to spokeswoman Jessica Bridge.

Duchess Kate and Prince Willilam leave the hospital with their new baby girl, about nine hours after she was born on May 2.
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