There are plenty of royal family members who don't go by their given name (Prince Henry, we're looking at you), but Prince George isn't one of them. However, Kate Middleton and Prince William's eldest child almost had a very different moniker entirely - but fear not! It's still equally as royal-sounding (of course).
According to a report from Vanity Fair, by royal expert Katie Nicholl, the Duchess of Cambridge positively had her "heart set on" another boys name – and no, it's not Louis (the name of her youngest son) either. The name in question is actually *drum roll, please* Alexander!
"Courtiers insisted the pair had not found out the sex of their unborn baby, and friends close to the couple claim William wanted a surprise," explains Nicholl. "Although Kate apparently suspected it was a boy and had set her heart on the name Alexander, they had not yet decided what to call their firstborn."
Although Alexander didn't quite make the cut in the end (for unknown reasons), it was still given to George as his middle name. In full, the future king's name is George Alexander Louis, with the George element believed to be a tribute to the Queen's father.
The expert adds that rather sweetly, throughout her pregnancy the Duchess referred to George as "our little grape" and that she had a hunch throughout that she was carrying a boy, but that the baby's gender was kept a secret right up until the birth.
"When I saw William a few weeks before the birth he said they didn’t know [the baby’s gender] and didn’t want to find out," a friend of the Cambridges is quoted as saying. "He said there are so few surprises in life—this was one he wanted to keep. Kate said she thought it was a boy because the baby kicked so much."
Everyone's clicking on...
It's hard to believe that Prince George is almost eight now! And apparently despite his royal lineage, when it comes to food he's as down to earth as they come... Hobbies on the other hand? Well, it sounds like he and sister Princess Charlotte are certainly following in Her Majesty's footsteps in that respect.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
