If you aren’t sure what King Charles III’s last name is, you aren’t alone.
He’s most often referred to as simply King Charles, or Prince Charles before his coronation.
However, he does have a surname, and it’s a mouthful: Mountbatten-Windsor.
As for the Windsor name, it was originally chosen by King George V in a break from tradition.
However, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip wanted a different name for their line of descendants.
King Charles' birth name isn’t just Charles Mountbatten-Windsor, however.
Instead, they used the last name Wales.
That was because Charles was Prince of Wales before William got the title.
(William Wales was a pretty normal name compared to some of the othercheeky nicknames for Prince William).
Why didn’t King Charles change his name when he ascended to the throne?
Not every royal uses their given name when they ascend to the throne.
He didn’t, and Keith Roy from the Monarchist League of Canada spoke toGlobal News Canadaabout presumably why.
He added, “His own reputation is strong enough that he can maintain his name.”
“And therefore, a name change would feel weird both to the individual and to the public.”
However, his reign hasn’t been an easy one asthe year following Charles' coronation was rather tragic.
