New Question: Brit Royalty ...?

[junediamanti]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> Wow, and I mean WOW! You guys really have some impressive 
knowledge of
> the royal family; at least, I'm very impressed by it.
> 
> A couple of new questions-
> 
> When Charles becomes king, I am led to believe he is likely to take
> the name George; King George the ###?. How likely is that, and what
> number will he be; King George the 7th? I was under the impression
> that previous King Charles's were not well liked by the people; 
hence
> the reason for becoming King George instead.

June:
No I think this is very unlikely - there are only a couple of 
traditional no-no's for royal names and they are as follows:

1.  John.  No and no.  King John had a terrible reputation.  
Unfairly won of course, but why let the facts get in the way of a 
good story.

2.  Richard.  Same thing - Richard III and all due to the set of 
slanders that the Tudors had written about him.  No - he probably 
didn't bump off his nephews, no he wasn't horrific to  look at and 
no he probably wasn't some sociopathic mass murderer.  He was an 
able soldier, loyal to his elder brother and halved the crown taxes 
for the poor.

3.  Albert.  There was only one Albert - the husband of Queen 
Victoria - it is felt that he did much to ensure the enduring 
popularity of the Royal Family by making them more accountable in 
their behaviour (the Hanoverians who preceded were a bit naughty and 
silly).

Re the Charles thing - Charles I was executed for high treason in 
1649.  His son Charles II restored the Monarchy after the Death of 
Oliver Cromwell and the collapse of the Commonwealth - our only 
excursion into republicanism.
> 
> Can Charles step down as king before his death, and let William 
take over?

June:
Yes but as someone has already posted this is unlikely.  The 
abdication of Edward VIII caused a good deal of bitterness in the 
Royal Family - Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was known to have 
believed that the fact that her husband (George VI) took over may 
have hastened his death.
> 
> When Charles becomes king, do some of his titles automatically
> transfer over to William? For example, when Charles becomes king, 
is
> he still the Prince of Wales, or does William then become Prince 
of Wales?

June:
The heir (provided it is male) to the British Throne AND provided he 
is son of the reigning monarch tends to be the Prince of Wales.  
This was begun in the 13th Century by King Edward I who defeated the 
Welsh in a series of battles.  Their own royal line had become 
extinct by this point.  Legend has it that the tribal chieftains of 
Wales petitioned Edward to give them a prince of their own who was 
born in Wales and "spoke no English" he therefore presented them his 
two day old son who had been born in the Castle of Carnaervon and of 
course spoke no language at all, let alone English.

The eldest son of the future King William V (should he accede) will 
not automatically become the Prince of Wales (though he will be 
styled such) but will have the title formally conferred on him by 
ceremony when he comes of age.


June