EXCLUSIVE: A royal commentator said "ardent" royalists would have "criticised" Ernest's name had the Prince and Princess of Wales chosen it, but it may have been welcomed by the younger generation. Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, would have been "criticised" by ardent royalists for choosing a name like Princess Eugenie has for her child, a royal commentator has said.
But Pauline Maclaran, author of the 2015 book Royal Fever, told Express.co.uk that had the Waleses chosen a more unusual name, it may well have been popular with the younger generation.
Unlike those further down the line of succession, heirs do not have as much freedom when it comes to choosing baby names.
Instead, they have to be “mindful of the tradition and heritage they embody” when naming their offspring, she explained. Just as with her first son August, the 33-year-old broke with tradition and posted on Instagram to share the happy news of the family's new arrival. Ernest, who is now 13th in line to the throne, moving Prince Edward down to 14th place, “is named after his great great great grandfather George, his Grandpa George and my Grandpa Ronald”, according to her Instagram post.
The baby's name does act as a subtle nod to tradition as King George V's middle name was Ernest and baby Brooksbank's middle names pay tribute to Jack's late father George Brooksbank and Eugenie's maternal grandfather, Major Ronald Ferguson.
Ms Maclaran believes that had William and Kate chosen this name for Prince Louis, it might have caused some consternation.