Category Archives: Columns

What’s in a Name?

by The Laird o’ Thistle
July 05 2013

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s baby is due any time now. We will soon know its gender, but it will probably be a while until we know the child’s name. The British royals have a tradition of keeping the names of their newborns to themselves for a while after the child is born. That, however, is not curbing the speculation.

Whatever its gender, this child is set to become monarch someday… if the British Crown survives and Great Britain is not swamped by rising sea levels. So, whatever name is chosen will have to be deemed suitable.

Except for Princess Anne’s family, the Windsors have always been a fairly conservative lot in such matters. Although a monarch can traditionally choose their regnal name from any of their baptismal names, the fact that there is so much lifelong media coverage nowadays makes it unlikely that a future monarch will choose anything other than her or his first name. Thus we seem destined for a Charles III, a William V, and a…? The Windsors also tend to draw on old family names, but not on names too closely associated with any other current member of the family, at least not on anyone too close to the throne or too young.

Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, chose very solid royal names for their two sons:

William Arthur Philip Louis
Henry Charles Albert David

The Duchess’s parents were also extremely traditional in the naming of their three children:

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton
Philippa Charlotte Middleton
James William Middleton

Then there are the grandparents:

Charles Philip Arthur George
Diana Frances
Michael Francis Middleton
Carole Elizabeth (Goldsmith) Middleton

And, finally, there is a certain pair of great-grandparents:

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
Philip

There are, of course, numerous additional options, particularly if William and Catherine opt to delve back into the Victorians as Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, did for their daughters.

If I were to guess, and that is all that this essay is, I would bet that if it is a girl the name of the new little princess will include the names Catherine, Elizabeth, and Diana. But I would also guess that none of those will be the child’s first name. I rather think that H.M. might prefer that her name not be first. Diana would be possible, but it might also be viewed as a somewhat awkward choice in relation to William’s father. There have been several Queen Catherines as consorts over the centuries (Woodville, Aragon, Howard, Braganza), but the name has not been a very lucky one, historically speaking.

Other options? Victoria would be good, but that is the name of the current Crown Princess of Sweden. The possibility of two Queen Victorias overlapping in different countries might be off-putting. I am intrigued by the idea of Charlotte. George III’s consort was Queen Charlotte. Charlotte is the feminine form of Charles. Philippa Middleton’s middle name is Charlotte. That said, there is also the unfortunate history of George IV’s daughter Charlotte, heiress to the throne, who died in childbirth in 1817. Sophia is a rather trendy name that would, at the same time hearken back to Sophia of Hanover, the mother of George I, who did not inherit because her cousin, Queen Anne, outlived her by only a few weeks. One last, but to my mind perhaps best option, is Alexandra. It is one of H.M.’s names, bestowed on her in memory of her great-grandmother Queen Alexandra (wife of Edward VII). True, it is also the name of H.M.’s cousin, Princess Alexandra. But as she is now apparently withdrawing from active royal life for health reasons, and is quite far down the line of succession, I doubt it would not seem a conflict.

My guess, then, for a girl’s name:

Alexandra Catherine Diana Elizabeth

The name for a boy is equally puzzling. Once again I think it likely that the names William, Charles, and Philip will be included. But, again, I somewhat doubt that any of those names will be primary. Michael may be included in honor of Michael Middleton, but also not as a first name. Other names, then? Edward is taken, by the Earl of Wessex. This Scot would love to see another King James, but wee Jamie Wessex (Edward’s son) has that name currently in use. David would please both the Welsh (St. David) and the Scots (two kings by that name), but it is rather too politically biblical. Arthur would be too mythically daunting. Albert would be an interesting choice, a nod to both the Prince Consort (Victoria’s husband) and to the Queen’s father, “Bertie” (George VI). My wager, however, is that they may simply opt for good old George.

My guess for a boy’s name is thus:

George William Philip Michael Charles

All of this, of course, is offered in speculative good fun. In a couple of months we will know the child’s name. I the meantime I pray for a safe delivery and good health for mother and child, and for the continued recovery and well-being of Prince Philip.

Yours Aye,
Ken Cuthbertson

Be sure to check out all of the Laird o’Thistle’s other columns here…

A British Abdication?

by The Laird o’Thistle
May 05 2013

After a hiatus of nearly a year I am back to Unofficial Royalty, probably more as an “occasional” columnist henceforth than as a regular monthly contributor. But, for the moment, here I be.

The reason I disappeared for so long was that, after eight years of monthly columns, I really felt I had run out of worthwhile things to say, and I was finding no new topics of sufficient interest to me to delve into the rather arcane research involved. But then, this week, along came the abdication of Queen Beatrix, and the investiture of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands….

At lunch with friends on the first of May, I heard a table of older men talking of the Dutch transition, and one of them said: “Prince Charles was surely looking glum! The old lady just keeps hanging in there.” And, suddenly, there was my topic: “What if” Queen Elizabeth II were, after all these many years, to suddenly change her mind about abdicating the throne and handing it over to the Prince of Wales? At this point I do not really expect that to happen; but, “What if…?”

The thing that most impressed me in the transition from Queen Beatrix to King Willem-Alexander was the affection and esteem that flowed between them. The words each spoke of the other on the palace balcony, and the looks exchanged between them, were priceless. The photo shots of the now Princess Beatrix matriarchal brooding and beaming over her young granddaughters during the investiture ceremony were heartwarming. There was no death, no funeral, no shadow of grief over a late Majesty “of happy memory” such as has long haunted Elizabeth II’s accession anniversary. It was simply a proud mother handing over the helm to her son, and stepping gracefully back into a well-earned retirement.

So, what if Queen Elizabeth were to follow suit? How might it be conceivable?

What I have noticed over the last few years is how Her Majesty’s age is showing more and more. She seems smaller, and more round-shouldered. She moves and treds more carefully, and concentrates more intently. At times she looks more weary. All, even as she soldiers faithfully on. She does not seem to have quite the zest and energy of her mother at the same age. (Nor did her mother carry anything like a comparable workload.)

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Nothing short of a catastrophe – either the total failure of her own health, or the death of Prince Philip – would, I suspect, cause H.M. to even consider stepping aside before the end of 2017. I choose that date for several reasons. 2015 will mark three major milestones. In May and August of that year the world will mark the 70th anniversaries of the end of World War II, first in Europe and then in the Pacific. The Queen and Prince Philip will, as able, want to be deeply involved in those commemorations. And then in September of that year H.M. will surpass Queen Victoria to become the longest reigning British monarch, ever. In 2016 the Queen will turn 90, and Prince Philip will be 95. 2017 then brings the 65th anniversary of the Queen’s accession, and marks another very significant historical anniversary… the centenary of the House of Windsor on July 17. In 1917 the longterm survival of any monarchy seemed “iffy” at best. Yet the House of Windsor has not just survived, but flourished. As just the fourth monarch, and as only the third generation, of this dynasty, it must be in the Queen’s mind to preside, if possible, over that celebration.

November of 2017 will also see the 70th wedding anniversary of Elizabeth and Philip. Barring unforeseen circumstances it could be an ideal time, right after that, for the “old lady” and her beloved spouse to finally step back, performing in the process yet another great precedent-setting act of service in modernizing the British monarchy. (Charles might also appreciate becoming King before he turns 70!)

Is it conceivable? Contrary to popular opinion I think it might be. Above and beyond anything else, Queen Elizabeth II may be counted on to “serve” the British Crown. That was her pledge at age twenty-one, and her guiding principle over the sixty-one years of her reign thus far. If it were to become clear that what best served the Crown was for her to stand down, she would. The recent example of Pope Benedict XVI points the way, perhaps even better than the Dutch transition, as the Supreme Pontiff of Rome chose act upon his own realization that age and health were preventing him from doing the job as it needs to be done. So he flew off in a helicopter to Castle Gandolfo, to walk in the garden and play the piano.

Do I want the Queen to abdicate? I never thought I would say that I did. But I am beginning to think that it might be a good thing, for her and for all. She absolutely should stay the course until she passes Queen Victoria, for that achievement is just too close now to consider anything else. But then I hope that she will give herself the freedom to consider the possibility… the opportunity. Perhaps some day, before long, she and her friend Princess Beatrix really ought to sit down and have a good chat about it. Eh?

Yours Aye,

Ken Cuthbertson