INFANT PRINCE’S NAMES

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25679, 16 December 1948, Page 7

INFANT PRINCE’S NAMES

Charles Philip Arthur George EIGHT SPONSORS AT BAPTISM (N.Z PA- Reuter—Copyright) (Rec. 1.30 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 15. Princess Elizabeth’s son, who has been named Charles Philip Arthur George, will be known as Prince Charles of Edinburgh. Prince Charles was christened in the big music room on the fifth floor of. Buckingham Palace to-day by the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. G. F. Fisher). The King and Queen, .Queen Mary, and other members of the Royal Family and a few close friends of the parents attended the service. The Rev. M. Foxell, Precentor of the Chapel Royal, assisted Dr. Fisher. The. sponsors at the baby’s christening were His Majesty the King, Queen Mary, Princess Margaret, King Haakon of Norway, Prince George of Greece, the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, Lady Brabourne, and the Hon. David Bowes-Lyon. Reuter’s Court correspondent says: "Charles will be the family name of the baby Prince. The last King of England to be called Charles was Charles 11. Charles is also the family name of King Haakon of Norway, the baby’s great-great-uncle, who is one of the eight sponsors. He was known as Prince Charles of Denmark until he accepted the throne of Norway. The baby's third name, Arthur, is the third of His Majesty’s four names. “It is understood that Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh chose the name of Charles for personal and private reasons. “All the eight sponsors are related to the Royal baby. Prince George of Greece is his great-great-uncle on his father’s side. The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven is his paternal great-grandmother. Lady Brabourne (elder daughter of Earl and Countess Mountbatten) is his first cousin once removed, and the Hon. David BowesLyon, the Queen’s brother, is his maternal great-uncle. “In giving the baby four names, the Princess and the Duke have followed recent custom in the Royal Family. Charles is also the third name of Prince Michael of Kent, whose full names are Michael George Charles Franklin, the last after his godfather, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. “The King of Norway and Prince George of Gretece were not present at the christening. Others stood sponsor for them.” Stuart Ancestry “An influence in the choice of the name of Charles was traced last night to the Queen’s background,” says the “Daily Express.” “Her ancestor, the fifth Earl of Strathmore, fought for the Stuarts. Bonnie Prince Charlie is supposed to have stayed at the Strathmores’ home. Glamis Castle. The Queen’s father, the fourteenth earl, was associated with the White Rose Society, which is devoted to the Stuarts’ memory. “The name of Charles is a surprise. It has suffered two centuries of Royal unpopularity because of its association with the Stuart Kings. Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel, whose ancestors and their clansmen fought for the Young Pretender, said: ‘I am delighted that once more we have a Bonnie Prince Charlie.’ ”

“The Times” points out that if Prince Charles eventually succeeds to the Throne he will then declare by what name he desires to be officially known, as did the present King, who was formerly Prince Albert, Duke of York.