ROYAL BABY NAMES ARE RARELY JUST NAMES — SOME QUIETLY CARRY TRIBUTES THAT REACH BACK THROUGH GENERATIONS OF THE FAMILY. 👑 From future monarchs to younger royals far down the line of succession, familiar names keep resurfacing for very personal reasons. Sometimes the connection is obvious. Other times, a middle name hides a tribute most people never notice. And several of today’s youngest royals were named after relatives whose influence still shapes the family decades later…

While many members of the British royal family are named in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the late monarch isn’t the only royal whose legacy lives on via a moniker.

Princess Charlotte and Princess Lilibet, for example, both have the middle name Diana in homage to their late grandmother, Princess Diana, who died in August 1997 at the age of 36.

The most recent addition to the royal family, meanwhile, is Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s daughter Adelaide, whose first middle name, Elizabeth, is a nod to Queen Elizabeth. The couple waited two weeks after Adelaide’s birth to reveal her name.

“We are so happy to share Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank,” Eugenie wrote on Instagram on Aug. 17. “Named after three people we love and admire past and present, including her Great-Grandmother who we hold close in our hearts.”

Here are 10 royal children whose parents named them after other members of the British royal family.

01of 10

Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank

Elizabeth
Princess Eugenie’s daughter, Adelaide.Princess Eugenie/Instagram

Eugenie and Brooksbank welcomed their third child on Aug. 3 in Lisbon, Portugal. Two weeks later, the couple shared the baby’s name with the public: Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank.

Eugenie explained the meaning behind the moniker on Instagram, writing that Adelaide’s first middle name, Elizabeth, is a tribute to the late Queen, “who we hold close in our hearts.”

“Her name is part of English and Portuguese history, two places we love and call home,” she added.

August Philip Hawke Brooksbank

Princess Eugenie and August Philip Hawke Brooksbank attend the Platinum Pageant on The Mall on June 5, 2022 in London, England. The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is being celebrated from June 2 to June 5, 2022, in the UK and Commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952.
Princess Eugenie with her son, August.Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty

Adelaide’s older brother August, who was born in February 2021, is named after not one but several members of the royal family.

August’s first name honors Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, who was born Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel. His first middle name, Philip, is a tribute to the late monarch’s husband, Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 at the age of 99. Finally, his second middle name, Hawke, comes from a 5x grandfather on his dad’s side, Rev. Edward Hawke Brooksbank.

03of 10

Prince George Alexander Louis

Prince George at 13
Prince George.The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram

Born in July 2013, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s older son, George, was named after his great-grandmother’s father, King George VI.

The future king’s second name, Alexander, is a reference to the Queen’s middle name, Alexandra. His third name, which he shares with both his father William and his brother, Prince Louis, is a tribute to the late Lord Louis Mountbatten.

04of 10

Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

Princess Charlotte of Wales attends the 2026 Easter Matins Service at St George's Chapel on April 05, 2026 in Windsor, England.
Princess Charlotte.Samir Hussein/WireImage

George’s sister Charlotte was born two years later, in May 2015. The princess’s first name is the female version of Charles, and thus honors her grandfather King Charles.

The rest of her name, meanwhile, references two late royals. Her second name, Elizabeth, pays tribute to the late monarch, while her third name was chosen in homage to her late grandmother, Diana.

05of 10

Prince Louis Arthur Charles

Prince Louis of Wales attends the track Cycling during the 2026 Commonwealth Games at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome on August 01, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Prince Louis.Karwai Tang/WireImage

Louis was born in April 2018 and was also given a name full of tributes to his relatives.

His first name comes from the late Lord Louis Mountbatten, while his second name, Arthur, is a nod to the legendary King Arthur of sixth-century England. Finally, his third name, Charles, honors his grandfather, the King.

06of 10

Princess Lilibet Diana

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with their daughter Lilibet.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with their daughter, Lilibet.Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose to break tradition with their son Prince Archie’s name, which does not harken back to any late members of the royal family. When his sister Lilibet was born in June 2021, however, the couple opted to honor not one but two royals.

Lilibet’s first name is a nod to the Queen’s childhood nickname. Her middle name honors her late grandmother, Diana. She also shares the latter name with her cousin, Charlotte, whose third name is Diana.

07of 10

Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi

Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi
Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi.Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi/Instagram

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi welcomed two daughters after tying the knot in 2020.

Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi was born in September 2021 and bears her late great-grandmother’s name, Elizabeth.

08of 10

Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi

Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, daughter of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi.Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi/Buckingham Palace

Sienna’s sister, Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, was born in January 2025.

Beatrice and Edo linked their daughters’ names by also giving her the late Queen’s moniker, Elizabeth, as her first middle name.

09of 10

Lady Louise

Louise Windsor
Lady Louise.Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh welcomed their daughter, Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, in November 2003.

Two of her middle names, Alice and Elizabeth, reference other royals. Alice was the name of Philip’s mother, Princess Alice of Greece and Denmark. Elizabeth, was, of course, the name of Philip’s wife, the Queen.

10of 10

James, Earl of Wessex

James, Viscount Severn
James, Earl of Wessex.Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

Louisei ’s brother, James, joined the family in December 2007. His full name is James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex.

As with his cousin August, James’ second middle name pays homage to his late grandfather, Philip.

 

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