Royal Couple Unveil Baby and Her Name--Eugenie

The Duke and Duchess of York have named their week-old daughter Princess Eugenie Victoria Helena, Buckingham Palace said today.

The baby’s name was announced shortly after the royal couple stepped from Portland Hospital with the new princess, wrapped in a white blanket.

The baby slept quietly through the cheers of the crowd and the click of hundreds of cameras.

Princess Eugenie is the sixth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and sixth in the line of succession. She is the second daughter born to the duchess and her husband, Prince Andrew.

The 30-year-old Duchess of York, the former Sarah Ferguson, gave birth to Princess Eugenie by Cesarean section March 23.

The baby’s name surprised Britain. Bookmakers William Hill said they had thousands of bets but not one for Eugenie.

It was the name of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, the daughter of Princess Beatrice who was Victoria’s fifth daughter and youngest child. The baby’s second name--Victoria--comes from Queen Victoria herself, and the third name, Helena, comes from the third daughter of Queen Victoria.

Eugenie is the French derivative of the ancient Greek word “Eugenia,” meaning “nobility” and “excellence,” said David Williamson, co-editor of Debrett’s Peerage.

The new princess’s name received mixed reviews from those gathered outside the hospital.

“How awful. How absolutely awful,” one woman said. “I suppose it has to go with Beatrice.”

“I don’t know--it’s kind of royal,” her friend said.