How Pippa Middleton's Daughter's Name Honors Her Sister Kate
In March 2021, Pippa Middleton and James Matthews welcomed their second child into the world — a daughter called Grace Elizabeth Jane (via US Weekly). Grace just so happens to share a middle name with her aunt, Kate Middleton, whose middle name is also Elizabeth, per Britannica. Not only that, but Kate's daughter Charlotte has the same middle name as well, including an addition of Diana in memory of Prince William's late mother, Marie Claire reported.
Pippa's first child, Arthur, also shares a name with one of Kate's children. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's third child, Louis, has the middle name Arthur. Louis was born a few months before Arthur in 2018 (via Harper's Bazaar), and his middle name is shared with both Prince William and Prince Charles, while also being part of Queen Elizabeth's father's name.
It's clear that the names of the royal family are steeped with family tradition, and the same can be said for the Middleton's and their inclusion of Elizabeth.
Using Elizabeth as a middle name is a long-running tradition for the Middleton's
The name Elizabeth comes from Pippa and Kate Middleton's great-grandmother, Elizabeth 'Lily' Harrison, per Cosmopolitan. That name has since been passed down the generations, resulting in Grace's middle name, as well as Kate and Charlotte's. Pippa and Kate's mom, Carole Middleton, also shares the middle name Elizabeth.
Pippa and Kate's great-aunt, Ruth Pritchard, was "thrilled" to see that the family tradition had continued. "The name has been in my family for generations and is very important to us," she told The Daily Mail. "My mum was much loved by her family, was devoted to Dad and us children, and always did the best for us."
In Charlotte's case, the tradition can also be seen as a nod to her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also honored the monarch with the name of their daughter, Lilibet Diana. While not as obvious, Lilibet's first name is actually a nod to Queen Elizabeth's nickname used by her family (via NBC News) including her late husband Prince Philip. According to historian Andrew Roberts, it's the moniker Queen Elizabeth used to sign the card placed on Philip's coffin.