Kate Middleton Initially "Had Her Heart Set" on a Different Name for Prince George

There are few modern examples of a prominent person named George. We have Clooney, of course, Bush, Lucas, R.R. Martin, Boy, Curious. But when it comes to famous Georges born after, like, 1970, there’s really only one that comes to mind: Prince George. The 6-year-old’s name is both distinctive and historical — he was named after Queen Elizabeth’s late father, George VI.

But, believe it or not, there is a world in which the royal heir did not carry the name “George” into the 21st century. According to a recently recovered Vanity Fair report from 2013, Kate Middleton “had her heart set” on a different moniker for her first born (whom she referred to as her "our little grape" while pregnant): Alexander.

Of course, Alexander wasn’t entirely shut out of of the name matrix — it ultimately became George’s middle name, followed by a second middle name, Louis. Interestingly, Middleton and Prince William’s second son, Prince Louis, inherited George’s second middle and not his first. That said, the name Louis does appear to have more intimate ties to the royal family — it honors Prince Philip’s late uncle Louis Mountbatten and is also one of Prince William’s (three!) middle names.

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Alexander isn’t devoid of royal tradition (it’s the male version of Queen Elizabeth’s first middle name, Alexandra), and there are several Scottish royals who bore the name.

Maybe Middleton will finally get her pick with royal baby no. 4? JKJK, three’s cool.