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Princess Charlotte: How was the name Charlotte Elizabeth Diana chosen?

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Royal baby no.2 finally has a name! On Monday, two days after the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to an 8 lb. 3 oz. baby, Kensington Palace announced the little princess’s name.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana,” reads the official statement.

"The baby will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge."

Nothing too surprising there – Charlotte and Elizabeth were both top picks, with Diana a little further behind. But what actually goes into choosing a royal baby name?

According to experts, it’s really not as complicated as it may seem.

“We might go to 1001 Best Baby Names, but the royal family goes to the family tree,” explains royal expert Victoria Arbiter to CBS News. “There’s not a requirement to name after a member of the royal family, but William and Kate by nature are very traditional.”

So while they’re not required to name the baby Victoria or Elizabeth or Charlotte, you can rest assured that a little Starlight Pilot Gadget would never grace the halls of the palace.

It’s less complicated, too, when it comes to a “spare” child – a royal that most likely will never actually take the throne. While there’s a very good chance that Prince George will become King of England, we probably won’t see Princess Charlotte as queen. That allowed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to have some creative freedom when it comes to royal baby no.2, such as pulling in names that were relevant to both sides of the family (in addition to being the name of many other queens and princesses, it's also the female instance of Charles, and Pippa Middleton’s middle name).

That could also explain why they decided to pay tribute to Prince William’s controversial mother, the late Princess Diana.

“Diana, the world over, conjures up both negative and positive images,” Arbiter says. “She was sainted by some people, others called her a disgrace to the monarchy and thought she was unhinged.”

By keeping Diana as the princess’s third name, it should hopefully keep royal critics at bay while still paying tribute to a woman revered by many.

Arbitor notes that when it comes to the British monarchy – you can never be sure who will take the throne. Will and Kate most likely chose a name that was still fairly traditional in the off chance that Princess Charlotte ever does become queen.

What do you think of Princess Charlotte’s name? What would you have picked? Let us know in the comments.