Sweden has a new second in line to the thrown. Crown Princess Victoria has given birth to a daughter. Says King Carl XVI Gustaf: “Her first name is Estelle, and then, of course Silvia, and then Ewa and finally Mary.” Duchess of Östergötland was also added to the title. Ewa is pronounced similarly to the English Ava. Though there was no explanation given for the names, we can surmise that Silvia is for Victoria’s mother, and Ewa for Estelle’s other grandmother. Before you go saying “wow that’s a long name for one person!” — four names are a common formula for royal families. This one is actually quite a bit shorter than most in both letters and syllables, and maybe as such more modern.
Estelle is a French name rarely found in Sweden. Many wish that the future queen of their country had a name that was more representative of their heritage (though the royals can trace their ancestry back to France). Estelle was also the name of the American-born wife of the king’s godfather, Count Folke Bernadotte. Maybe the king loved it as a child and was the one who suggested it, or maybe it’s just a coincidence? Perhaps they chose it for its celestial connotations? Or like so many parents, maybe they just loved its sound. It’s not unlike Stella, which is already becoming so popular, or Adele, a name I think we can expect to hear more of on little ones in the coming years. Before her birth, royal watchers speculated Alice and Desirée would be somewhere in the name. Someone also thought enough of the matter to bother hacking into the Swedish royal website. A false announcement on Friday morning read that the child’s name was Ulrika Marianna Annika David – Duchess of Upplands Väsby. I could have also gotten behind Ulrika.
There was a bit of a stir when Victoria married Daniel, a commoner and her workout trainer. Sweden took it with more grace than other countries might have, and the fact that both Victoria and now Estelle will inherit the crown measures progress. Do you find the concept of monarchy excessive and needlessly outdated, or do you think they give us some level of enjoyment?
Other recent royal announcements:
Prince Henrik Carl Joachim Alain
Above Image: Swedish family in 1905
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Personally I could justify keeping royal families around just for the names!
But it’s also nice (to me) that we have such a living and changing link to the past, with traditions and memories tied to it like a royal family.
Personally I wouldn’t have used Estelle but I think the full name is gorgeous. I was expecting the first name to be a bit more Swedish but I think the full name works. I don’t really have an opinion on the monarchy but then I don’t live in a country that has one.
Estelle is pretty, but I still think it’s unappropriate for the future queen of Sweden. Not a single traditional royal appellation in there! If they really liked the name for their firstborn daughter, they could have used something like Kristina Estelle, Anna Estelle or Margareta Estelle, and have the other name as the “official” one. For instance, the King’s father, Prince Gustav Adolf, was called by the last of his given names, Edmund, within the family.
Sadly, this is one of the disadvantages you get when commoners start marrying into royal families. You can’t help that they have names like Sonja, Mette-Marit, or Daniel, but the worse thing is when they name their (royal) children things like Ariane, Estelle, Zaria, and Noah (fine names, just not regal at all).
Looking at the last names picked by members of their family (Elizabeth II’s great-grand-daughter is named… Savannah), I’m scared for William and Kate. I hope Britain won’t have a Prince Dylan or a Princess Lily.
Speaking of William and Kate, we will all be guessing THEIR baby names soon! I’m actually thinking that they might go the more traditional route. After all, Kate might be a commoner but her name, Catherine Elizabeth, is about as conservative and English royalty-appropriate as you can get, and I have a feeling that she’d like to fit in and be accepted. (And let’s face it, her siblings are Philippa Charlotte and James William – conservative names are strong in her family as well as in William’s.)
I have little-to-no knowledge of royals but man, can they put together some stunning 3/4-name combinations. This is a lovely, lovely choice.
OMG the Afflecks finally had a boy! Now THIS is going to be interesting!
My great aunt was named Estelle. I always thought it was very pretty name and very fitting for a royal.
She was name Estelle after you noted the name of the American-born wife of the king’s godfather, Count Folke Bernadotte. Folke Bernadotte is known for negotiating the release of 30,000 prisoners from German concentration camps during WWII. He was also chosen to be the UN Security Council mediator in the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1947-48, but was assassinated in 1948. It is believed to testify to the Crown’s Princess’s interest in peace and conflict studies.