| Princess Charlotte of Cambridge | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 2 May 2015 St Mary's Hospital, London |
| Full name | Charlotte Elizabeth Diana |
| Royal House | Windsor |
| Father | Prince William, Duke of Cambridge |
| Mother | Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge |
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, born 2 May 2015) is the younger child and only daughter of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She is fourth in line to succeed her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, after her paternal grandfather, father, and elder brother.
Birth and baptism
Charlotte, the second child of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was born at 08:34 BST on 2 May 2015 in St Mary's Hospital, London. Several landmarks were illuminated pink to mark the birth, including Tower Bridge, London Eye, and the Trafalgar Square fountains, on 3 May, followed by gun salutes at Hyde Park and the Tower of London on 4 May. Later that day, her name was announced as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, with the two middle names being chosen after her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and grandmother Diana, Princess of Wales.
On 5 July 2015, Princess Charlotte was baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham. Her godparents are her parents' cousins The Hon. Laura Fellowes and Adam Middleton, and family friends Thomas van Straubenzee, James Meade, and Sophie Carter.
Public interest
Despite the efforts of her parents to shelter their children from the spotlight, photographs of Charlotte cause media frenzy. According to shopping statistics and polls among parents, Princess Charlotte is a major children's style icon. Retailers, particularly in clothing, benefit greatly from their product placement in photographs of the Princess. Brand Finance have estimated that she will be worth more than £3 billion to the British economy throughout her lifetime. On 11 June 2016, Princess Charlotte made her first public appearance, which was on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour. She accompanied her parents on their royal tour of Canada in September 2016 and on their diplomatic visit to Poland and Germany in July 2017.
Princess Charlotte started her education at the Willcocks Nursery School, near her family's home in Kensington Palace, in January 2018.
Titles and succession
Charlotte is, from birth, a princess of the United Kingdom entitled to the style of Royal Highness under letters patent issued by Queen Elizabeth II on 31 December 2012, which gave the title and style to all children of the Prince of Wales's eldest son. She is thus styled "Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge".
Princess Charlotte is fourth in the line of succession to the British throne, after her grandfather, father, and elder brother. Due to the implementation of the Perth Agreement, which replaced male-preference primogeniture with absolute primogeniture, Charlotte is the first British princess who was not displaced by her younger brother in the line of succession.