Prince William and Kate Middleton Reportedly Let Their Dog Choose Prince George’s Name
Prince William and Kate Middleton had some help choosing Prince George’s name – from their dog. Here’s how the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s family pet contributed to selecting their son’s moniker.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s son Prince George almost had a different name
Prince George is the oldest of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge almost gave their firstborn son a completely different name.
“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,” royal reporter Katie Nicholl wrote (per Cosmopolitan). “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.”
Nicholl added, “Kate was reported to have affectionately referred to her bump as ‘our little grape’ while she was pregnant, and there was a flurry of betting on possible names.”
Alexander ended up being one of the prince’s middle names – his full moniker, including royal title, is His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.
Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly had their dog pick out Prince George’s name
Kate Middleton and Prince William didn’t choose Prince George’s name on their own. They reportedly enlisted the help of their dog, Lupo, to pick the name of their first child.
After George was born on July 22, 2013, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge waited two days before announcing his name. Their English cocker spaniel, Lupo, helped them select a moniker (per Mirror).
The royal couple wrote different names they were considering on scraps of paper and placed them on the floor of their home. They then observed which piece of paper Lupo gravitated toward – and he picked George.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s new dog’s name means ‘golden princess’
Prince William and Kate Middleton had their dog Lupo for nine years after getting him in 2012. The English cocker spaniel was bred from a dog owned by Kate’s parents. Lupo was born just before Christmas 2011 and given to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. He helped raise the profile of his breed in the United Kingdom by The Kennel Club after appearing in one of the first official photographs of Prince George.
Lupo was named after the Italian word for wolf and the Latin word lupus. Kate also named the dog after the family of her paternal great-grandmother, Olive Christiana Middleton (née Lupton) – the Lupton family crest includes wolves.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge revealed on Instagram in November 2020 that Lupo died, although they did not share his cause of death.
William and Kate got a new pet before Ludo died. They got another black cocker spaniel from the Duchess of Cambridge’s younger brother. The new dog’s name is Orla, a Celtic word meaning “golden princess.” Orla was featured in a portrait of Princess Charlotte, William and Kate’s daughter, for her 7th birthday.
