The Queen hated Princess Beatrice’s original name so much that her parents changed it

Princess Beatrice’s original name was hated so much by the Queen that Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson changed it

Princess Beatrice
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo / Contributor/ Getty Images)

Princess Beatrice was going to have a different name but the Queen told her parents that she was not keen on their original selection.


When Princess Beatrice was born, her parents took 11 days to publicly announce their daughter's name to the public.

According to the Sun, this is because Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew struggled to find a name for their daughter after the Queen vetoed their first pick.

Reportedly, Sarah, The Duchess of York, had her heart set on the name Annabel but the Queen announced that this name was too 'yuppie.' This was a term that was coined in the 1980s and referred to the hoard of young upwardly-mobile professionals who made up most of the middle and upper-middle class.

Sarah's second choice of name was reportedly Victoria, but again the Queen took a dislike to this name, which was incidentally a very popular name with the companies placing odds on the new royal babies name.

Ultimately it was the Queen who suggested that Beatrice might be an appropriate name for the newborn. The Queen made this suggestion while the royal family all holidayed together at the Queen's Scottish residence, Balmoral Castle.

The Princess was ultimately given the name, Beatrice Elizabeth Mary. Her middle names are a tribute to her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her great-great-grandmother, Queen Mary.

Edo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi attend day 10 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 08, 2021.

(Image credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)

Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo welcomed a baby girl just over a week ago and the couple has yet to announce their daughter's name.

There is no specified amount of time that royals take to announce their baby names, and while some royals have announced their baby name at the same time of their birth, others have taken much longer.

Princess Eugenie, Beatrice's sister, took 11 days to announce that she had named her newborn son, August Philip in a sweet tribute to her grandfather Prince Philip.

In comparison, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge announced that they had named their firstborn son George Alexander Louis, the day after they announced his birth. 

The couple took the same approach when it came to announcing their daughter's name as they revealed they named their baby Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, just two days after her birth announcement.

Although it's unclear when Princess Beatrice will announce her daughter's name, there are already suggestions for the public about which names might be in the mix. 

Many think that the royal may opt for a name with a rich royal history such as Elizabeth, Margaret, or Victoria. However, other names such as Francesca, Arabella, Florence, and Matilda, are also major contenders for the name. 

Some Twitter users suggest that the Princess might even name her daughter after her mother Sarah or her grandmother Susan, while others suggest that she could initiate a theme and call her child September, in tribute to her sister's son August.

Laura Harman

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.