It’s HRH Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge as Bells Peal and Guns Salute the Princess

We are back with a very brief post today, but one that is a delight to write. William and Kate released the name of the new Princess of Cambridge. Word came at 3pm London time, 10am in the United States.

Kensington Palace

The couple selected three names resonating with significance.

©i-Images

Following, some of the historical reasons behind the names.

• Charlotte
  •  the feminized version of Charles, for William’s father, Prince Charles
  • Charlotte was the wife of King George III
  • Pippa Middleton’s middle name

• Elizabeth
  • honors HM, the Queen
  • it was also the late Queen Mother’s name
  • Kate and Carole Middleton’s middle name

•  Diana:
  • a touching tribute to William’s mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales

Other facts about the names:

• “Charlotte is also the name of Earl Spencer’s youngest daughter. William has cousins Alexander, Louis & Charlotte. He’s used all 3 names.” That info is via Victoria Arbiter.

Below, some of those honored by the names. We see the Queen this past Saturday, and a December, 1982 photo of Prince Charles, Prince William and Diana.

PA Wire/PA Wire

Rosa Monckton, a friend of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, shared her thoughts on Twitter on the name.

Rosa Monckton Twitter

And from the British Embassy in the USA.

British Embassy – Washington

At the Tower of London there was a 62-gun salute fired by the Honourable Artillery Company.

Cpl Donald Todd RLC

More on the tradition from the Army in London Facebook page:

Bank Holiday crowds flocked to the firing sites to join in the celebrations and show their support for the baby Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge. Gun salutes are customarily fired for the birth of every Prince or Princess, no matter where their place is within the succession.

Historic Royal Palaces (@HRP_Palaces)

Here you see the guns being positioned at the Tower of London before they were fired.

©Crown Copyright

There was also 41-gun salute in Hyde Park, preceded by music from the Royal Artillery Band. Our friend Mark Stewart noted the songs being played included “The Circle of Life” and “Isn’t She Lovely?”. The Army in London Facebook page noted the musicians had been up since dawn practicing special arrangements of the music “suitable to welcome the new Princess.”

©Crown Copyright/Sergeant Rupert Frere RLC

There is a video on the Army in London Facebook page of the music being played.

The Army in London

Today was a holiday in Britain, so there were lots of people out and about enjoying the festivities.

The Army in London

Below, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery firing blank artillery rounds.

©Crown Copyright/Sergeant Rupert Frere RLC

Why 41 and 62 rounds? (Yours truly had to undertake a little research for this one.) It turns out a basic salute is 21 rounds. For ceremonial events at the Tower of London an additional 20 rounds are fired because the Tower is designated a “Royal Palace and Fortress.” For salutes in Hyde Park (as well as Green Park) there are an extra 20 rounds, the number for Royal Parks.

It’s no easy task getting the canon into place. 53 soldiers and 71 horses pull the guns into position for today’s salute.

©Crown Copyright/Sergeant Rupert Frere RLC

The name for the photo album by The Army in London is cute: “Royal Baby BOOM”

Coinciding with the Hyde Park gun salute, the bells at Westminster Abbey. There was “a full peal of Cambridge Surprise Royal on the Abbey’s ten bells.”

Westminster Abbey Twitter

When Prince George was born the same peal was rung for more than three hours.

And Emma Bridgewater has announced they will be doing a Charlotte mug.

Emma Bridgewater via The Stoke Sentinel

From a story in The Stoke Sentinel:

It is estimated the factory will be producing around 800 pieces a day until demand for the product falls. Expectations are around 5,000 will be made.

The Emma Bridgewater mugs will go on sale to the public, priced at £19.95, from today.

The Cambridges have not yet moved to their country home, Anmer Hall. They remain at Kensington Palace this evening.

LINKAGE:

• The Army in London’s full backgrounder on today’s ceremonial salutes is here
• The Royal Parks news release has much more info on the gun salutes
• The Telegraph’s story on the names is here
• The Daily Mail’s story about the significance of the names used