Why has Prince William been banned in France?
The name inspired by British royalty was banned by a French judge
A French couple have been banned from naming their baby 'Prince William'. The parents from Perpignan, southern France, were stopped from using the royal-inspired name because it could lead to a "lifetime of mockery" for the boy.
The name was prohibited under an article in civil law that allows judges to overrule parents' choice of baby name "in the interests of the child", according to the Independent.
After 'Prince William' was overruled, the couple asked to use the name 'Minnie Cooper', but that was also disallowed.
Before the law was changed in 1993, parents in France had to choose names for their children from a list of "acceptable" options. Now this is no longer the case, judges often get called to assess whether names are in the interests of the child.
Earlier this year, a judge in Valenciennes stopped a couple from naming their child Nutella.
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Despite the French court's disapproval of a British royalty-inspired name, last year a number of children were named after Game of Thrones characters, such as Khaleesi. The Disney-inspired names Tarzan and Mowgli have also been recently allowed.
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