What Princess Charlotte will be called at school

Francesca Specter
·Yahoo Style UK deputy editor
Updated
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 5: Princess Charlotte, with by her father, the Duke of Cambridge, and mother, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George, arriving for her first day of school at Thomas's Battersea in London on September 5, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Princess Charlotte arrives for her first day at school. Photo: Getty

All eyes were on Princess Charlotte as she attended her first day of school alongside big brother Prince George, 6, on Thursday.

The four-year-old is now officially a student at Thomas’s Battersea, with a beaming Prince William and Kate dropping her off for her first day at the the $34,200 per year day school.

But how will Princess Charlotte’s classmate and teachers refer to the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge?

Her full title is “Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge”.

Britain's Princess Charlotte of Cambridge gestures as she arrives for her first day of school at Thomas's Battersea in London on September 5, 2019. (Photo by Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read AARON CHOWN/AFP/Getty Images)
Charlotte waves to cameras. Photo: Getty

However, Richard Fitzwilliam, a royal PR expert, tells Yahoo UK that Princess Charlotte will go by a much more conventional name in the classroom.

“William and Kate want their children, all of whom have the title HRH, to grow up in as normal an environment as possible,” Richard told us.

“It would obviously be totally inappropriate for her Her Royal Highness [title] to be used in the classroom. This would give her a totally separate status from the other pupils, the reverse of what her parents want and it would also be so lonely,” he added.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 5: Princess Charlotte arrives for her first day of school at Thomas's Battersea in London, with her brother Prince George and her parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on September 5, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Charlotte and big brother George arrive at Thomas's Battersea. Photo: Getty

So what name will Charlotte go by instead? Famously, the royals do not use surnames if they have the “Royal Highness” title.

However, there is a clever solution to this, where George has already set the precedent, and this is to use the family title – Cambridge – in place of a surname.

“Charlotte will follow George in using her father's title of Cambridge, as her second name, just as William and Harry used their father's title of Wales,” says Richard.

Therefore, Princess Charlotte will go by simply “Charlotte Cambridge”, according to Richard.

An informal nickname might also be used by those close to Charlotte, he speculates.

“When she makes friends among her classmates they may call her Lottie as Kate reportedly does.”

Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.

Want more lifestyle and celebrity news? Follow Yahoo Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Or sign up to our daily newsletter here.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories