Charlotte the monkey will retain her name

A Japanese zoo that caused a furor by naming a baby monkey after Britain's Princess Charlotte was told to stick to its guns by the local mayor after two days of fraught debate.

Oita city officials said on Friday they will stick to their first choice because there was no protest from Britain's royal family.

"We have decided to respect the feelings of the people who voted for the name to congratulate the birth of the princess," city spokesman Kazuyuki Adachi said.