Prince William chose not to name Princess Charlotte after the Queen due to the security risks

The Cambridges found another way to honour Charlotte's great grandmother

Since she was born in 2015, Princess Charlotte has repeatedly made headlines, whether for her signature sass or how she loves dressing up and dancing to her favourite song. 

Now six years old, fans have also started to notice her striking resemblance to the Queen when she was her age. And now it seems that her parents considered naming Charlotte after her great grandmother, too. 

A new Channel 5 documentary, ‘Secrets of the Royal Palaces’, explores how the Cambridges came to the decision over her name. Apparently, Kate and William decided against making their daughter’s first name ‘Elizabeth’ due to security fears. 

They also considered naming her after her late grandmother, Princess Diana. 

In the end, the couple felt it was safer to honour the two women through Charlotte’s middle names, and she was christened Charlotte Elizabeth Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. 

Speaking on the Channel 5 documentary, Richard Kay, a Daily Mail royal journalist and columnist, said: "I think [William] very wisely decided not to give Charlotte his mother's name as her first name. Everything she did and said would have been compared with her. By giving Diana as the middle name, it means Diana is still there."

Meanwhile, Emily Andrews, royal editor of the Mail on Sunday, added: "William has spoken about the loss of his mother and the impact it had. He thinks about her pretty much every day and he wants to keep his mother's memory alive."

Princess Charlotte now shares her middle names with her cousin, Harry and Meghan's daughter, named Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. The name Lilibet is a sweet nod to the Queen’s first name, Elizabeth. 

The documentary also revealed that Charlotte was christened at a small church in Sandringham, the same church where Diana was christened in 1961. 

This contrasts her brothers Prince George and Prince Louis, who were christened at St James Palace. 

Mr Kay said: "Prince William likes this symbolism. He has made it clear that he wanted Diana to be involved on the journey that he embarked on with Kate.

“First as his wife by presenting her with his mother’s engagement ring, and then at Charlotte’s christening because he chose the very church where Diana was christened herself.”

It’s a touching tribute to the late princess, and will no doubt help Charlotte feel a sense of connection with her paternal grandmother Diana.