Kate Middleton & Prince William Almost Gave Prince George a Completely Different Name

Choosing the perfect baby name is no easy feat (something Kate Middleton learned prior to welcoming her first son in 2013). 

Sure, Middleton and Prince William finally landed on George Alexander Louis for their firstborn, but according to the Mirror, this was almost not the case. 

It’s important to note that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge opted against finding out the gender of their child. “Courtiers insisted the pair had not found out the sex of their unborn baby, and friends close to the couple claim William wanted a surprise," royal expert Katie Nicholl said per the outlet. 

So, even though the duchess suspected she was carrying a boy (because the baby “kicked so much”), the couple created a list of potential names for both a girl and a boy. 

According to Nicholl, Middleton originally “had set her heart” on the name Alexander. As we know, Kate and Will eventually settled on George, which hearkens back to the Queen’s father, King George VI. Instead, the couple opted to use Kate’s pick as one of George’s middle names. 

And while we would have loved any name the Cambridges chose, Prince George turned out to be a great choice for many reasons. For example, if he was Alexander, he would never have been given the nickname “P.G.” by his pals at school. 

In an interview with Vanity Fair, a parent spilled the beans on the young royal’s reputation. “George is really happy at school, [and] his nickname is P.G. He’s very popular and has lots of friends, and there’s very little fuss made about who he is.”

P.A. just doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.