When King Charles acceded the throne, he was able to choose the moniker he’d adopt as monarch. While he decided to be addressed by his first name as king, he had a plethora of ideas to choose from. And according to a former royal employee, King Charles’s decision actually enabled his grandson to receive a special honor, which he’ll benefit from in the future.
Grant Harrold worked for the Royal Family from 2004 until 2011. At a launch event for his new book, The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service, Harrold explained (via the Express), “I had a conversation [with Charles] and he explained to me about [the] titles. He explained to me about why you bow and curtsy, and he explained to me about the different titles he could use. And we, myself and other colleagues, discussed it and we were all convinced he would [become] George VII.”
The King’s full name is Charles Philip Arthur George. As a result, many people thought he would forego Charles in favor of George.
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“We were all convinced he would [become] George VII.”
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‘The Royal Butler: My Remarkable Life of Royal Service’
Elaborating on why Charles might have avoided using the name George, Harrold explained, “With his grandson George, maybe he felt he should be the next George VII. Maybe he feels that it would be a nice thing to let him have that—be the next George—because it makes sense for Charles to go with Charles.” The former butler continued, “It does make sense. But to go with George, it would make more sense for his grandson to have that name.”
“It would make more sense for his grandson to have that name.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
As for why Harrold was so surprised that Charles maintained his actual name, the former butler explained, “Because Charles II had a reputation as [being] a womanizer, and Charles I lost his head [after he was tried and convicted of treason].” Harrold continued, “So when he picked Charles, I was quite surprised because that was not the impression I got.”
