One day, when it’s time for Prince George to do his duty and accede to the throne, he will become the seventh British king with this traditional royal name — or will he? His grandfather Prince Charles could potentially use the name when his own time comes and take the title before his grandson.
When a new monarch becomes king or queen, he or she can decide whether to keep their given name or choose a regnal name instead. A regnal name is one different from the one they were christened with and that identifies the monarch during their reign. It’s pretty rare: in fact, it’s only happened three times before in British history — however, all three instances were from the last 200 years. Queen Victoria was actually christened Alexandrina, but she had always preferred her middle name Victoria, so when she took to the throne, she did so with her preferred title.
Victoria’s eldest son was named after his father, Prince Albert, but there had always been friction between Victoria and her firstborn, and she later blamed him for the death of her beloved husband who died two weeks after a showdown with the young prince over his…
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