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The new king of England will reign as King Charles III – a moniker he once reportedly considered rejecting to avoid links to the bloody and turbulent history of his two royal namesakes.
His majesty considered being called George VII to honor his grandfather — a beloved royal figure — and to avoid Charles, a name considered “jinxed” in some royal circles, The London Times reported in 2005.
His “Charles” predecessors ruled over some of the bloodiest periods in UK history.
King Charles I led the country into a civil war — and remains the only English monarch to be executed.
His son, King Charles II, spent years in exile after his father’s beheading, then fanned sectarian flames in Britain while fathering numerous children with a number of mistresses.
“The name Charles is tinged with so much sadness,” one “trusted friend” of the then-prince told the London Times at the time.
