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Royal baby name announcements in history, from Prince Charles to August

By Zach Harper

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The wait is over! On Sept. 20, Buckingham Palace announced Princess Beatrice and husband with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi had welcomed their first child together! The baby girl weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces when she was born on Sept. 18.

The couple haven't revealed the little one's name yet, and it's not known when they'll make the announcement. Eleven days after Beatrice's sister Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank welcomed their first child, they revealed their little boy's name. So, is Beatrice likely to unveil her daughter's name at a similar time? Maybe! And maybe not.

The timing of royal baby name announcements has varied greatly throughout history. There's no definite protocol for revealing a little one's name, with royal couples having done so a few days after a baby's birth to up to a month later.

Scroll through the gallery – or click through, if you're on desktop – to see how royal couples have announced their baby's names through the years.

Photo: © Getty Images

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Prince Charles

The Prince of Wales was born on Nov. 14, 1948 at Buckingham Palace. But the Queen and Prince Philip really kept the public waiting to find out his name, Charles Philip Arthur George, which wasn’t revealed until about a full month later, around the time he was christened at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 15, 1948. That’s a long time to wait to find out the name of a future King!

Photo: © Central Press Photo Ltd. / AFP / Getty Images

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Prince William

The Duke of Cambridge was born on June 21, 1982 in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London. While Prince Charles and Princess Diana emerged from the hospital wing, posing on its steps with their newborn son a day later, it was a full week before the future King’s name was announced as William Arthur Philip Louis.

Photo: © David Levenson / Getty Images

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Prince Harry

The Duke of Sussex came into the world on Sept. 15, 1984 at the same place Prince William was born – the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in London. Unlike his big brother, though, it took less than 24 hours for his parents to announce his name: Henry Charles Albert David.

Photo: © Anwar Hussein / Getty Images

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Princess Beatrice

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York’s first child was born on Aug. 8, 1988 at the Portland Hospital for Women and Children in London. Her name, Beatrice Elizabeth Mary, was an unusual choice, as Beatrice had not been picked by a single bookie at the time or leading up to her birth, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Her mom and dad also waited a fair amount of time to reveal their unorthodox choice to the public, making the announcement two weeks after she was born.

Photo: © Tim Graham Picture Library / Getty Images

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Prince George

The birth of Prince William and Duchess Kate’s first child was the biggest media event for the Royal Family since the couple’s wedding just over a year earlier.

Prince George was born on July 22, 2013, and like his dad, he came into the world at the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. But unlike Charles and Diana, William and Kate first announced his birth through press release, in addition to the customary royal easel on Buckingham Palace’s gates. The couple also took next to no time in announcing his name, which was revealed to be George Alexander Louis the next day.

Photo: © Oli Scarff / Getty Images

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Mia Tindall

Zara Tindall is 17th in line to the British throne and does not have a royal title, so she had much more leeway in how and when she husband Mike decided to announce their first child’s birth.

Mia Grace was born on Jan. 17, 2014 at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Her mom and dad Mike Tindall revealed her name to the world six days later – on Twitter! Mike described his daughter’s birth as “definitely the best day of my life” in making the announcement, according to The Guardian.

Photo: © Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty Images

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Princess Charlotte

William and Kate’s daughter was born on May 2, 2015, and just like her big brother George and her dad, her mom had her at the Lindo Wing in St. Mary’s Hospital in London. Also like George, Wiliam and Kate announced her name very quickly, which was revealed as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana two days later.

Photo: © Mike Marsland / WireImage

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Prince Louis

William and Kate’s third child was born on April 23, 2018, also at the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, just like his siblings. But in revealing his name, his parents took more time than George and Charlotte. Four days later, they announced his name was Louis Arthur Charles.

Photo: © Dominic Lipinski / AFP / Getty Images

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Duchess Meghan gave birth to her first child with Prince Harry on May 6, 2019. The little baby boy weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces.

Two days later, Harry and Meghan announced their son's name would be Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

Photo: © Dominic Lipinski/AFP/Getty Images

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