Royal babies usually get rather royal names but when the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh welcomed their son, in 2007, their choices surprised many. And the unusual pick of Edward and Sophie could have even more unusual origins.
The baby boy born on December 17th 2007 at Frimley Park Hospital was a fourth grandson for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Four days later, his proud parents took him home from hospital while everyone else got used to the names they had chosen for him.
Their choice of James caused some discussion. It’s been one of the most popular names in the UK for decades but, in royal circles, it had had a bit of a question mark over it as it had been well used by the Stuart dynasty. They had lost the throne in 1688 but never lost hope of regaining it but their Catholic faith was a major obstacle. The proliferation of princes called James in their ranks led to their supporters being known as Jacobites and led to the name beoming a no no for the very Protestant Hanoverians who followed them.
Fast forward 200 years and that was all history. Besides, Edward and Sophie had already said their children wouldn’t use the royal titles they were permitted under the 1917 Letters Patent of George V so there was no chance of a Prince James bringing back echoes of the past at that point. However, one of the new baby’s middle names proved even more unusual.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh called their son, James Alexander Philip Theo, and it’s the last of those that is really unusual in royal circles. It’s usually a shortened version of Theodore but in James’ case it’s more likely a nod to his maternal great grandfather who was called Theophilus Rhys-Jones.
Theophilus was named after his own father and grandfather – in fact, the family were rather fond of the name which means ‘friend of God’ . So James, Earl of Wessex might have had an even more unusual middle name.
Even so, the youngest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip still brings another interesting addition to the list of unusual royal middle names.
