Prince Charles May Change His Name To This When He Becomes King

As the heir, Prince Charles will eventually ascend the throne one of these days. What is unclear, however, is whether or not he will still be called Charles when he becomes king.

People have known the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall simply as Prince Charles for decades now. In fact, he is the “longest-serving heir apparent in British history” and did most of his philanthropic work under the name Charles. So why would he want to switch into a different regnal name when he becomes king?

The simple answer is that he is allowed to do so. In fact, name changing upon rising to the throne is not unusual among British monarchs. For instance, Alexandrina Victoria chose her middle name as her regnal name and became Queen Victoria. Another example is Queen Elizabeth II’s father, Albert Frederick Arthur George, who became King George VI upon his coronation.

Another possible reason for the potential name change is that the name King Charles does not have a very good record in the British monarchy. For example, King Charles I was executed for treason in 1649, and his son, King Charles II, was well known for his love affairs and the inauspicious events that happened during his reign such as a plague and the Great Fire of London.

Given this unlucky association with the name, Prince Charles might opt to use another regnal name instead when he ascends the throne. Thankfully, he has a lot of options to choose from.

Charles’ full name is Charles Philip Arthur George. Thus, aside from the first name Charles, he still has three other middle names to choose from should he prefer a name change later on.

However, a few people on Quora are betting that he would likely prefer to be called King George VII. According to user James O'Malley, the name has “strong Hanoverian name with positive connotations.” In addition, all monarchs with the name George “had non-controversial reigns.”

But will Prince Charles really change his name? “No decision has been made and it will be made at the time,” is Clarence House’s official statement on the matter at the moment.