Queenly inspiration for a royal baby

Less than two weeks to go until the due date for baby Cambridge and while reports state that the Duke and Duchess don't know the sex of the child, there seems to be a general leaning towards a little girl.  Maybe it was the disputed comment from Kate a few months ago - is this for my d.....?  Maybe it was the baby pink outfit she wore on her last official outing before baby arrives at the Trooping of the Colour two weeks ago.  Either way, a quick scan of most bookies' websites have lots of odds for girls' names and not so many for little boys.

And while the royal couple are modern and forward thinking, let's face it, the Royals do like a bit of an historical connection when it comes to naming their children.  There aren't too many surprises, especially with the first born of an heir to the throne.  The bookies might have tipped George as the name of Charles and Diana's first born but William was hardly a bolt from the blue.  It's not like they called him Monty or Mark and expected us all to get used to it.  They went for a name that kings had used before.

And that's why the past queens of England are probably the best place to look for the name that a princess of Cambridge would take.  And as most of those are consorts, it's an ideal guessing game to start playing here.

First, let's get the names also used by Queen Regnants out of the way.

Mary

The name of the first woman to rule England in her own right, Mary I, and of the woman who dumped her own father off the throne to gain power, Mary II.  Both were hugely popular at the beginning of their reigns, with Mary I cheered into London when she came to claim her crown from the cabal that had put the tragic Lady Jane Grey on the throne.  Mary II was also the people's choice when she became Queen in 1688. 

But Mary I's reign quickly degenerated into disaster.  Her obsession with her cousin, Philip II of Spain, and their marriage damaged her reputation as she seemed to cede more and more power to her husband.  Her phantom pregnancy in 1555 led to public humiliation from which she never really recovered.  And her devotion to the Catholic faith led to the burning of over 280 Protestants in her reign.  The woman who had ridden to the throne on a wave of public happiness died just over five years later a sad, broken and unpopular woman who has gone down in history as Bloody Mary.

Mary I, the first woman to rule England in her own right

Mary II never lost the public acclaim that greeted her ascension to the English throne in 1688.  Again, religion played a large part in her reign.  Mary was a Protestant but her father, James II, had become a Catholic and had lost the throne when his second wife, Maria of Modena, gave birth to a healthy son who could succeed his father.  Mary II and her Protestant husband, William III, ruled jointly but while William took to the field to defeat James in battle in Ireland, Mary stayed at home and became a real people's queen.  While some historians criticize her for her submission to her husband (whose claim to the throne was far more tenuous than hers) others see her as an able administrator and social reformer.  She died of small pox in 1694 with thousands lining the streets of London at her funeral to express their grief.

 

Mary II, popular in her day but forgotten by history

Mary is also the name of just one Queen Consort - Mary of Teck, wife of George V and grandmother to Elizabeth II.  Destined to be queen, she was first engaged to Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and the eldest son of Victoria's eldest son.  On his death, and after a suitable period of mourning, she married his brother and became his Queen Consort in 1910.  She is said to be a major influence on the Queen and her mother was a Princess of Cambridge. 

 

Mary of Teck, Queen Consort of England 1910 - 1936 and descendant of the House of Cambridge

 

So there we have it.  A quick upsum of Mary gives us.....

 

For

• Name of the first woman to rule England in her own right - so appropriate for the first girl guaranteed to be Queen of England no matter what
• Name of the Queen's beloved grandmother
• And just a little bit retro chic....once the most popular name in England by a long way, it doesn't even hit the Top 50 these days

Against

 

• Mary I ended up as one of the most unpopular monarchs England has ever had and history hasn't been much kinder
• Mary II is largely forgotten by history and was seen by some as being a weak queen as she ceded a lot of her power to her husband
• There will be a Queen Mary in Europe as the Crown Princess of Denmark bears the name

That's the case for Mary...tomorrow, Elizabeth....

 

 

Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, future Queen of Denmark (photo Holger Motzkau)