Princess Beatrice Would've Had A Different Name If Not For Queen Elizabeth

Princess Beatrice, the oldest child of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has grown up to be a lovely young woman, wife, and mother. But, if you can believe it, her name was never supposed to be Beatrice at all! Yes, her parents had a completely different name in mind for their daughter...which the late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly hated.

As an informal courtesy, members of the royal family would tell Queen Elizabeth their name choice for new babies to receive her blessing. Normally, the queen humbly gave her signoff with no issues. Sidebar: there's no word if King Charles III is keeping the tradition going, but his battle with cancer is likely on top of minds at the moment.

Upon Princess Beatrice's birth, in keeping with tradition, her parents reportedly told the queen their name of choice and the queen immediately disapproved. So much so that, when Princess Beatrice was born, Prince Andrew and Ferguson held off for two weeks on announcing her name – likely because they struggled to come up with anything else! But Queen Elizabeth herself stepped in with a suggestion which was a more sentimental choice than the Duke and Duchess of York's first pick.

Before settling on the name "Beatrice," the Duke and Duchess of York, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, planned to name their firstborn child Annabel. Needless to say, Her Royal Highness was not a fan. In fact, according to Mirror, she even said the name was too "yuppie," suggesting that the name "Annabel" sounded like a young spoiled brat eager to live lavishly. It certainly wasn't up to the royal standard according to the queen.

Instead, Queen Elizabeth suggested Beatrice, which was the name of their ancestor Queen Victoria's youngest daughter. Prince Andrew and Fergie respectfully accepted the suggestion of the name. They would go on to add two middle names for Beatrice – Elizabeth Mary – as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth and her mother, as well as the queen's grandmother, Mary of Teck.

Princess Beatrice later returned the favor to Queen Elizabeth for the name change. When she gave birth to her first child with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, they named the baby girl Sienna Elizabeth. Several other royals have paid tribute to Her Royal Highness by having Elizabeth as a middle name, including Princess Charlotte, the only daughter of William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales.

While several other royal children may boast of having Queen Elizabeth II's name in some way, few could boast of having a relationship like the one she had with Princess Beatrice. The two reportedly had a close bond, and the queen even gifted Beatrice and her sister Eugenie a mansion for Beatrice's ninth birthday. Granted, Sarah Ferguson respectfully had the girls return it, but still!

In a 2017 interview with Hello, Princess Beatrice revealed how the late monarch was one of her biggest role models. "I find my grandmother inspiring every day because her overwhelming sense of duty is linked with an overwhelming curiosity," she said at the time. "She goes out into the community with a genuine curiosity as to how she can be a force for good in the world."

The princess adored her grandmother so much that she honored the family matriarch by revamping the queen's vintage 1962 Norman Hartnell gown for her bridal gown. Queen Elizabeth originally wore the gown to a movie premiere but later pulled it back out for the 1966 State Opening of Parliament. Though Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were wed in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip emerged from isolation to support their granddaughter on her big day.