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Princess Charlotte<\/strong>\u2019s name carries a subtle tribute to Princess Diana<\/a><\/strong>, woven into Kate Middleton<\/a><\/strong> and Prince William<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s choice for their only daughter, says a royal commentator.<\/p>\n Charlotte, who just celebrated her 11th birthday<\/a> on May 2, is a living link to her late grandmother<\/a>. However, while her name could have directly honored Princess Diana, Kate and William deliberately chose not to use Diana as Charlotte’s first name.<\/p>\n Royal commentator Richard Kay<\/strong> said in the documentary\u00a0Secrets of the Royal Palaces<\/em>, as reported by Express<\/a>, that the couple’s decision allowed Charlotte not to live a lifetime of comparison. “I think [William] very wisely decided not to give Charlotte his mother’s name as her first name. Everything she did and said would have been compared with her,” Kay explained.<\/p>\n By giving Charlotte her own distinct first name and using her late grandmother\u2019s name as a middle name, Kate and William created a subtle but meaningful tribute. It allowed the young royal to carry a connection to her grandmother without that legacy shaping her identity.<\/p>\n Parade Daily<\/strong>\ud83c\udfac <\/strong>SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox<\/strong><\/a> \ud83c\udfac<\/strong><\/p>\n William was just 15 when his mother died as a result of injuries she sustained in a car accident in Paris, France. Diana’s companion, Dodi Al Fayed<\/strong>, and the car’s driver, Henri Paul, <\/strong>also died. The sole survivor was bodyguard Trevor Reese Jones<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Before her death, Diana divorced William’s father, then-Prince Charles<\/a><\/strong>, in 1996. One of the stipulations of the divorce was that Diana had to relinquish “her royal highness,” but she was able to keep the title Princess of Wales, per Cosmopolitan<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n RELATED: Princess Diana\u2019s Desire to \u2018Please\u2019 King Charles Came at a \u2018Cost,\u2019 Former Butler Claims<\/a> Burrell said that William promised his mother that he would restore her title of HRH. The former butler claims William told Diana, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Mummy, I will give it back to you one day when I am king.\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED: Kate Middleton, Princess Diana Had to Pass the \u2018Balmoral Test\u2019 to Fit Into The Royal Family<\/a> The photo was taken at Highgrove in 1984. Prince William was just two-years-old.<\/p>\n “Remembering my mother, today and every day. Thinking of all those who are remembering someone they love today. Happy Mother\u2019s Day. W,” he captioned the photo.<\/p>\n MORE: Princess Diana\u2019s Down-to-Earth Parenting Habit Brought Normalcy to Royal Life<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This story was originally published by Parade<\/a> on May 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Express<\/a> reported that in the 2003 book A Royal Duty<\/em>, Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell<\/strong>, claimed that before her death, William made his mother a promise.<\/p>\n
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Prince William publicly paid tribute to Princess Diana’s legacy on March 15, 2026. He shared a photo taken from his childhood on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n