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Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine: Twins for Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark, a brother and sister for Prince Christian and Princess Isabella

08 Sunday May 2011

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We are still recovering from the royal wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton (now the Duchess of Cambridge), but it only seems a few years since Australia had the excitement of seeing Mary Elizabeth Donaldson from Hobart marry Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. I don’t think we’ve got over the thrill of that yet, and the birth of the royal twins this year has been greeted with great interest and enthusiasm.

The unlikely relationship began on September 16 2000, when Frederik was visiting Sydney with the Danish sailing team during the Summer Olympics. He and Mary met at the Slip Inn Bar, where he was enjoying a casual beer and pizza night with his royal cousins; Mary was one of the locals who had been invited to join the party through friends of friends. There must have been something about Mary, because Prince Frederik introduced himself to her at once, and they immediately bonded over sport and horses.

When the media eventually learned of this first meeting, they played up the “prince meets commoner” angle to the hilt, and the fact that the Crown Prince had hit on someone working in real estate down the pub just seemed so beautifully down-to-earth. The media made it sound as if any attractive girl with an office job and a bit of luck could become royalty. The Slip Inn now advertises itself as being fit for royalty, and apparently is still popular with mid-twenties semi-sophisticates who hang around the bar sipping cocktails in slightly desperate hopes of meeting a prince of their own. It seems unlikely that lightning will strike twice though.

Mary and Frederik were able to keep their long-distance relationship secret for over a year, until the Danish press named her as the prince’s girlfriend in November 2001. The following month, Mary moved to Paris where she was able to visit Frederik, and in 2002 she went to live in Denmark permanently. During their courtship, the women’s magazines were bristling with excitement at the prospect of an Australian-born Danish princess, and when the couple became officially engaged in October 2003, they went into hyperdrive. It all culminated in the glorious royal wedding on May 14 2004, upon which the magazines exploded in a paroxysm of frenzied delirium and the Australian public went slightly ga-ga. It was seen as a modern-day fairytale – a simple Tasmanian girl meeting her European Prince Charming and moving into her own palace.

After the thrill of the wedding, there were royal children to look forward to. Mary and Frederik obliged by producing first Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John on October 15 2005, and then Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe on April 21 2007. Christian of course is Frederik’s heir, while Isabella was the first princess to be born in the Danish royal family since 1946.

In August 2010, it was announced that Mary was pregnant with twins, and on January 8 2011, she gave birth to a baby boy at 10:30 am, and then a girl 26 minutes later. By tradition, the names of royal babies are not made public until their christening ceremony, so we all had a few months to speculate what the names might be. As they were born on Elvis Presley’s birthday, Prince Frederik joked that the boy would be called Elvis, but did suggest that they might slip an Australian name in there somewhere.

Guessing the royal baby names became a national idle pastime for both countries, and some suggestions were Banjo and Matilda, Frederik and Marie, Christopher and Mathilda, and William and Mathilde. A Danish poll found Sophie, Adelaide, Caroline, Louise, Charlotte, Astrid and Alexandrine were popular choices for the baby princess, and Magnus, Erik, Harald, Sven, Knud, Axel and Christoffer for the little prince. Australians tended to make silly suggestions like Shane and Kylie, or Serenity and Grayson (not all of them were joking, I’m afraid).

At last the twins’ christening day arrived on April 14 and the long wait was over. It was revealed that Frederik and Mary’s twin son was called Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander, and their twin daughter Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda. It seems that all the guesses that Matilda/Mathilda/Mathilde would be included were on the money, Sophia was much like the Dane’s popular choice Sophie, Alexandrine turned out to be Alexander instead, and Frederik being included was a bit of a no-brainer.

Vincent was an unusual choice, and came as a surprise to both Danes and Australians, as it is considered a rather old-fashioned name in both countries (I’m sure that will change now). Frederik after his father is a royal custom and was to be expected. The interesting name Minik is North Greenlandic, and honours the country of Greenland as part of the Kingdom of Denmark. I have seen Minik translated as “blubber”, “earwax” and “oil used for sealing skin boats”, but Professor Minik Rosing, who attended the christening, gives an alternative definition of “silent snowfall”. That is a much more attractive meaning, and very appropriate for a baby born in mid-winter. The name is pronounced meen-EEK. Alexander is a popular name in both Denmark and Australia, and has been used in the royal family, and by Mary’s family as well – Alexander is the name of her nephew.

Princess Josephine shares her name with one of her godmothers, an Australian friend of Mary’s called Josephine Rechner. However, I am unable to confirm whether Princess Josephine was named in her honour, or whether it is simply a coincidence. Sophia is another popular name, and has been used in the Danish royal family. Ivalo is a North Greenlandic name which means “tendon”, “thread” or “sinew”; it is pronounced EE-vah-lo. Mathilda has been used in the Danish royal family, and is a nod to Mary’s origins – the Australian name we were promised by Frederik.

From polling and surveying conducted online, the majority of people were approving of Vincent and Josephine as a twinset, with most liking the name Josephine more than the name Vincent. Nearly everyone agreed that they sounded great with siblings Christian and Isabella. People have generally been intrigued by the Greenlandic names, and Danish royal watchers have expressed satisfaction at their inclusion. They are two beautiful and carefully chosen royal names for the Danish royal family, which seem to have come as a pleasant surprise to everyone.

Congratulations to the Crown Prince and Princess on their twins, and happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, everywhere! Whether a royal or a commoner, I hope all mothers are treated like a princess today.

NOTES: Translations of Ivalo and Minik from Wikipedia and Behind the Name; Professor Rosing’s definition of Minik was reported in the Danish press.

If you would like to watch the royal twins being christened, you can see it here:

Faith Margaret Kidman Urban: A Daughter for Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, a Sister for Sunday Rose

03 Sunday Apr 2011

Posted by in Celebrity Baby Names

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Faith Urban is the most surprising celebrity baby of 2011, because until she had actually arrived, we didn’t know of her existence.

Her mother, red-haired Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, has a well-known history of medical problems related to fertility and childbirth. Married to high-profile American actor Tom Cruise for ten years, Nicole suffered an ectopic pregnancy early in her marriage, and then miscarried soon after her separation from Tom in 2001. During Nicole and Tom’s marriage, they adopted two children – Isabella Jane and Connor Anthony – who still live with their father.

Nicole married New Zealand-born country singer Keith Urban in 2006, after meeting him at a G’day LA event the previous year. (G’day LA is an event where Australian celebrities are honoured in Los Angeles around Australia Day).

In July 2008, Nicole gave birth to their daughter, Sunday Rose, at the age of 41. According to an interview in The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine, she never expected to become pregnant or have a baby, and described Sunday’s birth as a “miracle”. She attributed her pregnancy to the mystical properties of the waters at Kunnunurra in far-north Western Australia, where she swam while making the Baz Luhrman film, Australia. Apparently seven women working on the movie conceived after swimming in the waterfalls, and of the babies subsequently born, six were girls. Sceptics pointed out that Sunday’s birth might have had a little to do with the IVF programme the Urbans were reportedly using, although that doesn’t explain the other six pregnancies.

They chose Sunday Rose’s name with care. Sunday is the day of the week that Nicole and Keith were married on, and Sunday is also the day the week that they consider their “special” day, when they spend time as a couple away from their busy work schedules. Rose is the name of Keith Urban’s late grandmother.

While the public may have assumed that the Urbans’ family was now complete, Keith and Nicole had other plans, but kept them a secret from outsiders. Keith may have dropped a tiny hint when he released his latest album, Get Closer, in November last year.

In the dedication, he wrote: “I continue to be brought to my knees by this love of ours … I am in awe of how this blessed family we are creating stretches and fearlessly opens my vulnerable heart … and I just want to be a better man, for you, and father for our heavenly Sunday Rose and have you go to sleep every night knowing that no one has ever, or will ever, love you as much as I do … and all we need is faith.” (my italics).

If this dedication was intended as a private allusion to their soon-to-be-born baby between he and his wife, it probably indicates that they had already chosen Faith’s name at least six weeks before her birth.

Faith Margaret was born on December 28 2010 at Centennial Women’s Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. On January 17 2011, her birth was announced on Keith Urban’s website:

“Our family is truly blessed, and just so thankful, to have been given the gift of baby Faith Margaret. No words can adequately convey the incredible gratitude that we feel for everyone who was so supportive throughout this process, in particular our gestational carrier”.

When Sunday Rose was born, the media was intrigued by her name and why her parents had chosen it. However, at the news of Faith Margaret’s birth, all anyone could talk about was the method by which she had been born.

They wondered what genetic relation she was to Keith and Nicole (she is their biological child, but carried and delivered by a third party). They wondered who organised the baby’s conception and birth (The Center for Surrogate Parenting, in Los Angeles). They wondered what Faith Margaret had cost them ($150 000, with 20% going to the woman who gave birth to her). They wondered who the surrogate had been (strictly confidential). They wondered why the Urbans used the term “gestational carrier” rather than the usual “surrogate mother” (probably because it’s a term common in the US, where the surrogacy and birth were arranged).

Australia has a long and not-very-proud tradition of criticising Nicole Kidman. Everything from her appearance (too thin, too pale, hair too difficult) to her lifestyle choices (too American, too much Botox, married a Scientologist with a reputation for weirdness). For the past few years, criticism had died down to a low rumble, but Faith Margaret’s birth reignited it as a storm of controversy raged over the method of her birth.

In general, there has been a lot of disapproval directed at the Urbans. Much of it is because paid surrogacy is illegal in Australia. Altruistic surrogacy is permitted in most states, but only medical expenses can be paid to the surrogate. In Nicole Kidman’s home state of New South Wales, recent legislation has been passed that also makes it illegal for residents to procure paid surrogacy overseas. The penalty for breaking the law will be a $100 000 fine and up to two years in prison. The law will not be retrospective, so the Urban family do not need to worry about being charged over Faith’s birth.

Many people have also expressed shock, outrage or even horror at the term “gestational carrier”, which to them seems degrading, too much like legalese, or just plain creepy. Others think it distasteful and unethical for a wealthy movie star to rent another woman’s uterus for her own convenience, and some believe the whole process to be unnatural, and reminiscent of Brave New World. However, there are also many people sympathetic to her desire for another child who feel it is her right to have one by whatever means she chooses, and a few who believe that our surrogacy laws are too strict.

Although Faith’s birth has re-opened the surrogacy debate in Australia, thankfully those issues are outside the scope of this blog, so I don’t need to offer any opinions or suggest any solutions, and can get back to discussing her name.

Nicole Kidman gave a brief interview to E! News Online at the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 30 2011, where she explained how Faith’s name was chosen.

Her name is Faith because Keith and Nicole needed to maintain their faith throughout the entire pregnancy, and because they never gave up faith that they would have another child together, even though that seemed unlikely because of Nicole’s age and medical history. After Sunday’s birth, Nicole told People magazine that they would have more children if it was part of God’s plan. So Faith’s name refers not only to their personal confidence that they could have another child, but also to the trust they placed in God as part of that process.

The middle name Margaret honours Nicole’s grandmother, who gave birth to her last child at the age of 49. “She’s my inspiration,” says Nicole at the end of the interview. (Keith used the SAG Awards as an opportunity to proudly show off pictures of baby Faith on his mobile phone).

You can see that Faith Margaret’s parents used the same naming formula they used for her sister: vocabulary name with personal meaning + name of relative.

From polling and suveying people online, most baby name enthusiasts thought that Faith was a nice name, and Margaret a lovely classic one. There was less enthusiasm for the combination of the two, with respondents almost evenly divided between people who thought it was a good sensible name, and those who thought it dull and plain. However, almost nobody really disliked it.

I don’t think that Faith Margaret is the prettiest name in the world; to my mind there is something slightly frumpy about it. But I think it is a good name, because it was chosen with a personal meaning in mind, and connected to the name of a beloved or even “inspirational” relative. Both Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret have names with a story attached to them, and that makes them more special than just picking a name that is “cute” or “sounds nice”.

Because of that, I’m giving Faith Margaret Urban thumbs up, and congratulations to her parents, who always knew that you’ve got to have faith.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Information on how the surrogacy was arranged from Adelaide Now 23/1/11

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/nics-150000-bundle-of-joy/story-fn6bqphm-1225992969053

Information on current surrogacy laws in Australia from The Australian 19/1/11

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/nic-and-keiths-baby-news-sparks-surrogacy-debate/story-e6frg6nf-1225990575722

Suggestion that Faith was secretly mentioned on Keith Urban’s latest album from Herald Sun 8/3/11

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/first-pictures-of-keith-urban-and-nicole-kidmans-surrogate-baby-faith/story-fn6bn80a-1226017890670

Interview from E! Online 31/1/11

http://au.eonline.com/uberblog/b223446_Nicole_Kidman_Spills_on__quot_Secret_quot__Baby_No__2.html

Flynn Christopher Bloom: A Son for Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom

27 Sunday Feb 2011

Posted by in Celebrity Baby Names

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From the moment we knew of his existence, he was the most eagerly-awaited celebrity baby of 2011. How could he not be, with the parents that he had?

Miranda Kerr was our country town girl made good due to her girl-next-door dimpled beauty. A supermodel who wore undies and flogged face cream for a living, and also managed to be intelligent, politically caring and spiritually aware, she won hearts with her down-to-earth personality. Last June she became engaged to Orlando Bloom, a good-looking English movie star who shares her Buddhist ideals and has vague ties with Australia, which seemed eminently suitable.

They married with suspicious haste only a month later, provoking much speculation that the couple were already expecting a baby. By August, it was confirmed that Miranda was pregnant and due in a few months. Baby name obsessives were soon feverishly wondering what name they would choose for it. Would it be an Australian name? An English name? A Hollywood name? A fashion name? A Buddhist name? Or would it be something romantic, literary and Latinate like Miranda and Orlando’s own names?

We all awaited the presence of Johnny Sparrow Legolas or Lotus Pearl Victoria with bated breath.

Baby Bloom entered the world on January 6 2011 and it was a boy! It was a natural birth, and Miranda endeared herself to the female public further by saying that giving birth to a 10 pound baby without drugs is an extremely painful, protracted and difficult process. This was refreshing after uber-model Gisele Bündchen’s smug and unconvincing claim that natural birth “didn’t hurt in the slightest” (cue 99% of mothers all foaming at the mouth simultaneously).

We waited to hear what name they had chosen for him … and waited … and waited. Miranda’s mum explained that they had a long list of names and were still trying to decide which one to use. Even in the midst of our impatience, it seemed touching that despite their beauty, wealth, fame and spiritual enlightenment, the Blooms had the same “heck the baby’s arrived and we still don’t know what to call him” issues shared by many other couples.

On January 19, Miranda revealed the baby’s name to be Flynn on her blog. It was a name that was Australian and Hollywood and fashion world, for it is the surname of Australian actor Erroll Flynn – the star of 1930s/40s swashbuckling derring-do flicks very much like the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that Orlando himself has starred in. Erroll Flynn was born in Tasmania, the state in which Orlando Bloom’s maternal grandparents lived at one time. In addition, another Australian supermodel, Elle McPherson, has named one of her sons Arpad Flynn Alexander.

Just possibly, he was named after a more recent Hollywood connection – Flynn Rider is the (assumed) name of the handsome prince in the Disney animated musical Tangled, which came out about six weeks before Flynn Bloom’s birth. There has been a recent fad for naming girl babies after Disney princesses – could the Blooms be the start of a new trend for calling boys after Disney princes?

The names of the other Disney princes are Ferdinand, Charming, Philip, Eric, Aladdin, John, Shang and Naveen – hmm, maybe it’s the start of a new trend of Disney providing prince names we may actually want to use! Mind you, Flynn Rider’s real name is Eugene – perhaps the Disney princes could all start choosing cool fake names for themselves.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that Flynn Bloom’s middle name became known: Christopher. Miranda explained on Facebook that they had chosen his middle name to honour her first boyfriend, who had been killed in a car accident when he was still a teenager.

Many people will say that naming a baby in honour of an ex is absolutely not on, but I think this is really touching, and clearly Orlando Bloom is far too mature and secure to worry about his son sharing a name with his wife’s dead ex.

I must confess to having a great affection for the name Flynn, which I think is simple, cute and spunky. It’s also just dropped off the Top 100 in Australia, and Miranda and Orlando’s choice could very well bring it back up there again.

However, I’m not sure it really goes that well with the surname Bloom. Both names are one syllable and end with a N/M sound, so they are a little too similar to mesh well, in my opinion. Also, to me the name sounds as if it is saying “in bloom” – although I can’t decide is that is a problem or not! Being in bloom is such a positive thing, after all.

From polling and surveying people at a couple of sites, I get the impression most people think that Flynn Bloom is a bit too short and abrupt, and share my concerns about the awkwardness of the full name, although in general they liked the name Flynn itself.

Overall, I give Flynn Christopher Bloom a thumbs up and a warm welcome to the world. You’re in like Flynn, Baby Bloom!