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white red and yellow wall decor \"Funarama\"
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Culture > Entertainment

Prince William & Kate Middleton Reveal Name Of Their Royal Baby Boy & It’s Not What We Were Expecting

Erica Kam

The newest addition to the royal family arrived on Monday, April 23, when Prince William and Kate Middleton (who, BTW, has been hailed as superhuman for going outside—in heels!—just seven hours after giving birth) welcomed their third child and second son. Since then, people have been waiting anxiously to find out the name of the prince who bumps Prince Harry back another step to the throne (but who, in a historic first, can’t cut ahead of older sister Princess Charlotte).

Well, after four agonizing days of waiting, we finally have a name for the little prince: Louis Arthur Charles!

 

He, of course, has a longer official title: His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge (that’s Louis with a long E and silent S, in the French style, not like the more English “Lewis”). The name, announced in a statement from Kensington Palace, came as quite a shock to everyone that’s been taking bets—the favorite was apparently Albert, with Louis being way down the line. But, of course, a name is never just a name; at least, not with this family.

The name Louis has a lot of royal history behind it: it’s the middle name of both Prince William and Prince George, and it’s the first name of Prince Philip’s grandfather and Prince Charles’ great-uncle. Arthur is also a middle name of both Prince William and Prince Charles (because you can never have too many middle names, I guess?), as well as the name of one of Queen Victoria’s sons. Finally, Charles is maybe the most obvious choice, serving as a tribute to the baby’s grandfather.

In fact, Prince Charles released a statement of his own to celebrate the birth, joking, “The only trouble is, I don’t know how I am going to keep up with them.”

 

 

Congrats to Prince William and Kate, and welcome to the world, Prince Louis!

Erica Kam is the Life Editor at Her Campus. She oversees the life, career, and news verticals on the site, including academics, experience, high school, money, work, and Her20s coverage. Over her six years at Her Campus, Erica has served in various editorial roles on the national team, including as the previous Culture Editor and as an editorial intern. She has also interned at Bustle Digital Group, where she covered entertainment news for Bustle and Elite Daily. She graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing from Barnard College, where she was the senior editor of Columbia and Barnard’s Her Campus chapter and a deputy copy editor for The Columbia Spectator. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her dissecting K-pop music videos for easter eggs and rereading Jane Austen novels. She also loves exploring her home, the best city in the world — and if you think that's not NYC, she's willing to fight you on it.