EXCLUSIVE: How Prince William Used Daughter Charlotte's Name to Pay Tribute to Princess Diana
Prince William found a touching way to honor his late mother.
Sept. 22 2026, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
Prince William found a deeply personal way of ensuring Princess Diana remained part of the next royal generation – giving his only daughter his late mother's name while protecting her from the burden of being called Diana herself, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Prince of Wales, 44, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, 44, decided to name their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana following her birth on May 2, 2015.
Prince William Chose the Name to Honor His Late Mother
Prince William honored Princess Diana through daughter Charlotte's name.
Diana honors William's mother, who was 36 when she died in 1997, while Elizabeth commemorates his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died aged 96 in 2022. Charlotte also echoes the name of William's father, King Charles, 77.
A royal source claimed: "William always felt very strongly that if he ever had a daughter, he wanted there to be some meaningful connection to his mother in her name. Diana obviously never had the opportunity to meet Charlotte or see William become a father, so including her name was a deeply personal way of bringing the two generations together and ensuring his mother remained part of his children's lives.
"But there was also a great deal of thought about how that should be done. Calling Charlotte 'Diana' as her first name would have been an incredibly powerful gesture, but it would also have created an enormous amount of attention and expectation around her from the moment she was born.:
The insider explained, "William knew better than almost anybody what the name Diana means to people around the world. His mother became one of the most famous women of her generation, and even decades after her death, people remain fascinated by every aspect of her life. Giving that name directly to his daughter could have meant Charlotte spending her entire life being compared with the grandmother she never had the opportunity to know.
Princess Charlotte carried Diana's name as her middle name.
"Every photograph, outfit, and public appearance would potentially have invited another comparison. People would have looked for Diana's mannerisms, personality and appearance in Charlotte, and William didn't believe it would have been fair to place that sort of burden on a child," the source noted.
They explained, "He wanted Charlotte to have the freedom to grow up as herself rather than feeling she had somehow been given the responsibility of carrying on Diana's public persona. She needed to be Princess Charlotte first – with her own character, interests and eventually her own role within the family.
"Using Diana as a middle name provided what William felt was the right balance. It created a permanent and unmistakable tribute to his mother without allowing that tribute to overwhelm his daughter's individual identity.
"For William, it wasn't about recreating Diana through another generation. It was about remembrance. Charlotte carries her grandmother's name with her, and that means Diana has a lasting place within the family William has created, while Charlotte remains entirely free to become her own person."
Diana First Name Could Have Brought Scrutiny
Royal commentator Richard Kay said Diana as Charlotte's first name could invite scrutiny.
Royal commentator Richard Kay has similarly suggested that using Diana as Charlotte's first name would have subjected the young princess to endless scrutiny.
He told Vanity Fair: "Had it been the first name, I think it would have been terrible for the child. There would have been constant comparisons with Diana, and William wouldn't have wanted that."
William and Catherine's name decision instead allowed William to honor his mother without inviting Charlotte, now 11, to be viewed publicly as a replacement for the grandmother she never met.
Kay added: "This way it's a tribute to his mother and a way of ensuring Diana is always remembered."
Charlotte's first name carries other family connections. It is the feminine counterpart of Charles, while Catherine's sister Pippa Middleton has Charlotte as a middle name.
Our source said William's choice reflected the "delicate balance" he has sought between preserving Diana's memory and "allowing his children to develop identities independent of royal history."
Lilibet Diana Follows Similar Royal Naming Choice
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle later used Diana in Lilibet's name.
Prince Harry, 42, and his wife Meghan Markle, 45, subsequently made a similar choice when naming their daughter Lilibet Diana, now aged five.
William's decision carried additional poignancy because of claims concerning a promise he made to Diana before her death.
Diana's friend Simone Simmons said after Charlotte's birth William had once promised his mother he would restore her HRH status when he became king.
She said: "When Diana was alive, William promised her when he was King (that) Diana would have her HRH restored. This is his way of doing it.
"It's William's way of honoring his mother's memory. A way of making sure Diana's legacy lives on. This way, she will never be forgotten."
Charlotte herself was styled Her Royal Highness from birth, providing another symbolic connection between William's daughter and his late mother.
