To wonder whether, as per this claim, Annabel was really seen as a 'yuppie' name in the 80s?

No, not really. Not young or urban enough.

100% agree. In point of fact, wouldn’t the Princess of Wales’ family have been considered Yuppie with their occupation? Deffo not Sloane.

I agree Queen Camilla sounds odd. I think Queen Diana would have sounded strange too, as will Queen Kate (although Queen Catherine is OK).

Peak Sloane was well before the massive expansion of universities.

Annabel wasn't a yuppie name in the early 80s, it was a sloane ranger name. Yuppies were the new urban professionals, some of them sounded sloaney but mostly they were the upwardly mobile from a wide range of backgrounds.

Sloanes were already upper class or upper middle class and had names like Annabel, Arrabella, Minty (Araminta), Camilla, Diana, Henrietta, Tory (Victoria) etc.

His full name was Albert Edward (named for his father and his grandfather Prince Edward Duke of Kent), and Queen Victoria's wish and intention was that he would rule as King Albert or possibly as King Albert Edward. But when he ascended to the throne, he chose the regnal name Edward.

Annabelle was very yuppie. As was Arrabelle/a.

Annabel spelt this more classically English way perhaps slightly better?

I’ve never heard of Isobel/ Isabelle/ Isabella being seen as yuppie though.

I seem to remember cordon bleu cooking courses being a popular Sloane choice after A Levels, as an alternative to university.

I’m a bit too young for the Sloane rangers, but we called them Rahs or thr pink pashmina brigade. There were no Annabels that I remember. That name is a generation older. They were more likely to be called Cordelia and Hugo.

Loads of Sloanes-men and women- went to University. They were called Yahs at mine.

I knew of one sloane who admitted she went to university to meet a husband. That was her primary goal. She didn't really care about the course she was doing!

How things have changed, it's anything but a yuppie name now, more council estate I would say!

Yes, some sloanes went to university. I was at a red brick university in the early 90s. I wasn't aware it was a popular choice with sloanes until I got there.

It soon became very clear that the type of secondary school you went to was very important if you were in the sloane club or not! It became funny how often I was asked which school I went to by the sloane types and how quickly they judged you because of this.

They really did look like clones wearing very similar clothes with very little individuality. We used to jokingly call them clones!

I agree. Would your typical Sloane have gone to university though?
Let's be honest here, the massive university expansion business has over inflated degrees.
I'm just imagining that it was not a given then that a woman of that background would have gone to university given the era?

It's not a problem for me.
All this is is a discussion of names.

Yes, I know, that was my point. His name was Albert but when he became king he chose to be King Edward, not King Albert.

How weird I knew quite a few Melissas . None of them could remotely be called posh

Being a sloane ranger was like being in a club - you were either in or you were out! It was all about the clothes, the names, the school and university you went to, the holidays, your background, the lifestyle, etc.

Annabelle was the ultimate sloane name in the 80s and 90s. Conjures up an image an 'Ok yah' woman living in a very comfortable, upper middle class bubble.

Lilibet is just silly. It’s not even a real name.

Of course he knows Charlie is a diminutive of Charles! He (and several other Charlies he is/has been friends with) have managed to go to good universities and have careers, whilst all being known as Charlie - it really isn't the the problem you seem to think it is.
Maybe it's because all the Charlies (no apostrophe) you know are over 50, whereas they are all under 30, but nobody gives a toss.

Don’t understand the “yet” here. Annabel Elliott was born in ‘48. Perhaps the OP is too young f to have heard of Annabel’s nightclub in Mayfair. Definitely for the upper crust and named after James Goldsmith’s wife Lady Annabel, born Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart in ‘49. Grand enough for you?

Queen Camilla still sounds odd to me, though.

Why would he suddenly decide to be called Charles if his name is Charlie?
Doesn't make sense. You and others have broken the link between Charlie and Charles. In your case because you don't like Charles.

Have you told him that Charlie is short for Charles?
Just because names sound similar doesn't mean that they're the same.

In any case, it would still make more sense to put Charles on the birth certificate not Charlie.
It's not doing any harm there sitting on the birth certificate and would only be used on official documents.

Surely it's easier to say, 'call me Charlie' should people call him Charles.
It's easy enough to shorten it. It's a natural thing to do but people rarely lengthen names.

You dont have to say that anybody can ask others to address them by whatever name, this is obvious.

Incidentally, I know a few Charlie's. All over 50, all Charles on the birth certificate.

The mother of one of them hates, hates it when people call him Charlie.

Yes it was. All wearing velvet blazers and pie crust collars.

Because his name was Albert.