Kate Middleton Had Her 'Heart Set' on Different Name for Prince George, Author Reveals

Before he was Prince George, future king and third in line to the British throne, he was nearly something else entirely.

An upcoming royal biography reveals that when Prince William and Kate Middleton were expecting their first child in 2013, the Princess of Wales had her “heart set” on a different name — one that never made it to the palace balcony.

In William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story, out March 10, author Russell Myers writes that the couple “spent hours” researching names ahead of George’s birth. They chose not to learn the baby’s gender in advance, and, according to excerpts published in The Mirror, struggled to agree.

“Catherine had her heart set on Alexander for a boy or Alexandra (also Queen Elizabeth’s middle name) for a girl,” Myers writes. Meanwhile, “William had privately voiced his preference for having a girl, and was keen to incorporate a tribute to his late mother,” Princess Diana.

The pair reportedly flipped through a baby name book gifted by a friend, dissolving into “fits of laughter” over some of the more outlandish suggestions. William even teased his press team by floating names like “Rodney” or “Graham” before bursting into laughter.

Ultimately, William narrowed the boys’ choices to George and Louis. When their son arrived on July 22, 2013, they announced the name George Alexander Louis — a nod widely seen as honoring King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II’s father. Louis would later be used again for their youngest son, Prince Louis Arthur Charles.

Myers’ book also revisits the family fracture that followed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to step back from royal duties in 2020.

According to excerpts, “Catherine had less interest than her husband in trying to persuade Harry to stay in his current role.” Myers suggests she believed the “heir and the spare” dynamic made Harry’s departure inevitable.The book suggests the feud became serious when Charles, then Prince of Wales, declined to “become involved in a government decision” on protection for Harry’s then fiancé, Meghan Markle, despite it granting protection for Kate when she and William were engaged — reinforcing the hierarchy between the brothers.

Myers writes that William was “intensely saddened,” recognizing that “there would be no turning back.” The rift deepened following Harry and Meghan’s infamous Oprah interview, and Harry’s memoir Spare, and remains unresolved. A source said “He [William] felt as though somewhere down the line, perhaps it is impossible to even say when, that he lost his brother. He became paranoid, angry, obsessive and firmly rooted in the past.”

According to excerpts published by The Mirror, the biography also claims William pushed for decisive action against the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor years before King Charles stripped him of his royal titles in 2025.

Following Andrew’s controversial 2019 BBC interview about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, Myers cites a source who says William believed there was “absolutely no upside in Andrew being protected.” The source said his stance was “crystal clear: Andrew shouldn’t be anywhere near the family under any circumstances.”

On February 9, William and Kate released a rare joint statement, saying they had been “deeply concerned by the continuing revelations” and that their “thoughts remain focused on the victims.”

From baby names to royal banishments, Myers’ portrait of the Wales suggests a future king and queen increasingly shaping the monarchy on their own terms.