CHARLOTTE

Unless you have been living under a rock or tucked away deep in some cave meditating on the changing colour of your bellybutton fluff, you would be aware that Kate and Wills have given young George a little baby sister. A sweet little girl, no doubt the apple of her parent's eye and upon whom will have all sorts of luxuries lavished upon her due to the social status of her family. And why not, she is a princess after all.

Kate & Wills with their Charlotte

When a princess is born, everyone coos and exclaims "how wonderful, a princess". When a princess is presented to the world on the steps of the hospital or her image appears in the paper, everyone smiles and says "how adorable". When a princess is given a name that is regal and royal and befitting of her status, everyone nods in agreement and remarks "how lovely, Charlotte, what a sweet name. Perfect for a princess." But not me, when I found out that the latest little royal was to be christened Charlotte, I fist pumped the air and shouted "yes!!!"

A strange reaction, I will admit, but secretly I had been hoping that 'Charlotte' would win the royal baby name lottery and for a very good reason. It's not every day that a princess bears the name of a family member. 

Unfortunately my family has never been bless with particularly royal type names. I don't think there has ever been a King Derek or a Lester - Duke of North(somewhere or other) or even a Duchess Heather or Debbie. There is, however, a very good possibility that there may have been a Lady Yvonne in some French court but for the most part the names in my family are not very, well royalish. But Charlotte, there's a name that was always in with a chance and I'm not surprised.

My daughter with our Charlotte aka Nana Irving

My paternal grandmother's name was Charlotte and although my Nana Irving's life was a far cry from that the new little princess will experience, if my grandmother was the embodiment of a name then this princess will have a lot to live up to.

My grandmother, my Charlotte, was a lady. An English lady. A lady who offered you cups of tea in her little room in the assisted living home, where she lived for all of my childhood. A lady who always worn beads and stockings and lipstick and carried a purse over her arm, even when we went to Wynnum to eat fish and chips in the park.

A lady who lived through bombs dropping on the streets were they lived. Who had to make do with war rations and lived with blackouts. 

A lady who agreed to pack up her children and follow her husband to Australia, leaving behind her family, her life, everything, to live on a farm in the bush, with no electricity or running water. A lady who raised her children almost on her own while her husband went to work in the city and she stayed on in the bush. 

A lady who battled a crippling mental illness all of her adult life but always kept her faith. 

A lady who had no material possessions, no house, no car, not even any furniture to speak of, but always gave of what she had, her love and her forgiveness, to everyone she came in contact with, especially her children and her grandchildren. 

A special lady who was never bitter about the hardships she had to endure, who never wished things were better but always smiled and had a soft embrace and a tender kiss for us.

My Charlotte, my grandmother was tender, gentle and loving and I sincerely hope that her namesake brings the new princess these same qualities. Princess Charlotte won't ever have to endure a life that my grandmother had, but if she grows to be a person, a lady, who possesses the qualities of my grandmother, she will be worthy of the name Charlotte. And it will see her firmly placed in world's heart. 

Just as Princess Charlotte's own grandmother was.