Why Princess Beatrice waited to announce her newborn daughter’s name

Baby Sienna Elizabeth was born on 18 September.

The Royal Family announced that Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi had welcomed a daughter two weeks ago, but kept us all waiting when it came to unveiling the littlest royal’s name.

Unlike Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who announced the name of their daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, alongside the news of her birth back in June, Beatrice and Edo chose to delay their baby name announcement until Friday, when they finally revealed that they’d called their first child Sienna Elizabeth.

Yes, we had to wait a whole two weeks before finding out that the latest royal arrival had been named Sienna Elizabeth, in tribute to both her grandmother, Sarah Ferguson, and her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The delayed announcement is actually totally in keeping with royal tradition, with Prince William and Kate Middleton also holding off on announcing the names of their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, until several days after each of their births.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana, meanwhile, also waited a full fortnight before making Prince William's name public, while the Queen topped them all by waiting a full month to reveal the name of her eldest son, Prince Charles, following his birth in 1948. (Well, she is the Queen, after all.)

But just why do the royals keep us waiting for so long, you ask?

Well, there are two possible reasons according to royal commentator Victoria Arbiter.

"On one hand," the royal expert told Town & Country back in 2018, "there's a desire to inform the families before a public declaration is made and any new parent appreciates having a little private time to get to know their new addition before the onslaught of announcements.

"Royals, however, also have to consider the great responsibility in naming a new member of the family and I expect they want to be a hundred percent certain of their choice before announcing the name and sealing the baby's place in history."

Interesting.

The Royal Family announced little Sienna's birth in true millennial royal style, posting a statement on Instagram alongside a photo of the newborn’s footprints. "Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have named their daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi," the sweet post read. "The couple have said, ‘We are all doing well and Wolfie [Edo’s son from a previous relationship] is the best big brother to Sienna.'"

Adorable. We can't wait to see pictures of the newest royal arrival.