Indeed, the King is believed to have strongly considered choosing the name George VII, after his grandfather, in part because of the controversial legacies of Charles I and II. Charles I, who reigned from 1625 to 1649, is one of Britain’s most notorious monarchs. Recent revisionist stories have tried to play down his image as an authoritarian leader intent on undermining Parliament. However, there is little escaping the fact that his reign sparked the English Civil War and ended in his trial for treason and beheading. During his reign, the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland were divided by religious strife, while Charles himself insisted on his divine right to rule independently of Parliament. This, combined with Charles’ marriage to a French Catholic and his suspected Catholic leanings, upset his deputies who would eventually rebel and sign his death warrant. Charles II was invited to restore the monarchy in 1660 after 11 years of the Commonwealth and sought political and religious tolerance. However, like his father before him, he had Catholic leanings that sickened his deeply Protestant subjects. He fell out with Parliament, dissolving it in 1681 and ruling without it until his death four years later. His son, James II, would be overthrown in 1688 largely because of his Catholicism. It was then that the absolute sovereignty of Parliament was finally secured.
Prince William and Catherine’s title change
After the Queen’s death, the Duke of Cambridge – also known as Prince William – became the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge. As Charles’ eldest son, he has inherited the dukedom and will now oversee the fortunes of the Duchy of Cornwall. His wife Catherine will be known as the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. At some stage they will be known as the Prince and Princess of Wales, but this is not automatic.
