Princess Charlotte of Cambridge Biography

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.

Biography

Clarence House announced on 8 September 2014 that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were expecting their second child. The next month, Kensington Palace announced that the baby was expected to be born in April 2015.

On 2 May 2015, at 08:34 BST, the Duchess gave birth to a daughter who weighed at St Mary's Hospital, London. The Duke of Cambridge was present at the birth. The Duchess had been in labour at St Mary's Hospital (where Prince William was born) since 06:00 BST. The baby was delivered naturally by midwives Arona Ahmed and Jacquie Dunkley-Bent, with doctors Alan Farthing, surgeon-gynaecologist to the Duke's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II; Guy Thorpe-Beeston, an expert in high-risk pregnancies and surgeon-gynaecologist of the Royal Household; Sunit Godambe, consultant neonatalogist at the hospital; and Huw Thomas, physician to the Queen. Farthing, Thorpe-Beeston, and Godambe were also present at the birth of the Cambridges' first child, Prince George, in 2013. The baby was shown to the public for the first time outside the hospital with her parents, less than 10 hours after she was born.

In the evening of the following day, landmarks such as Tower Bridge, London Eye, and the Trafalgar Square fountains in London and the Peace Tower in Ottawa, Ontario, were illuminated pink to mark the princess's birth. On 4 May, gun salutes were fired at Hyde Park and the Tower of London. Later that day, her name was announced as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

On 5 July 2015, Princess Charlotte was baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham. Her godparents are The Hon. Laura Fellowes, Prince William's maternal cousin; Adam Middleton, the Duchess's paternal cousin; and family friends Thomas van Straubenzee, James Meade, and Sophie Carter.

On 1 May 2016, the Royal Family released photographs of Charlotte ahead of her first birthday. Multiple retailers, particularly in clothing, are expected to benefit greatly from their product placement in these photographs. On 2 May, Charlotte turned one, receiving gifts from 64 countries, including a book of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales from British Prime Minister David Cameron, and a 30,000 gemstone-studded white gold toy rattle from The Natural Sapphire Company of the United States.

On 11 June, she made her first public appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour, and in September accompanied her parents to Canada.

Titles and styles

• 2 May 2015 - present Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

Princess Charlotte of Cambridge is, from birth, a British princess 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.

The princess is fourth in line to succeed the Queen, after her grandfather, father, and elder brother. Because of the changes to succession law effected in 2015, she cannot be displaced in the line of succession by any younger brothers.

Ancestry

Through her father, she is a member of the House of Windsor. Through her mother she is a descendant of the Middleton family. Through her paternal grandmother, Diana, Princess of Wales, she descends from the Spencer family, and also from three of the illegitimate children of Charles II and James II. As a great-grandchild of the Duke of Edinburgh, her patrilineal descent is from the Greek and Danish royal families.

Notable namesakes

In 2016, Marc Jacobs debuted the lipstick "Charlotte" named after her, and the Princess Charlotte chrysanthemum, also named after her, was displayed at the Chelsea Flower Show.

See also

• Ancestry charts of the current British Royal Family
• Genealogy of the British Royal Family