Prince George could be set to change his name when he becomes King. The young royal, who celebrated his 12th birthday earlier this week, is second in line to the throne – with his father, Prince William, currently next in the royal line of succession.
Welcoming their first child into the world in 2013, Prince William and Princess Kate decided on the name George Alexander Louis for their young son. Choosing a name for a royal child is an important task, with parents having to consider if there are any overriding historical associations which could draw negative comparisons in the future.
It is also the reason that perhaps has prompted former reigning monarchs to change their regnal name when crowned.
An example of this is George’s great-great-grandfather, Queen Elizabeth II’s father, King George VI.
When he became monarch, following the abdication of his older brother, he changed his name – having been named Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George at the time of his birth in December 1895.
Queen Victoria was also born as Princess Alexandrina but took the name Victoria when she became Queen in 1837.
It is thought that she believed Alexandrina sounded too foreign to be the name of a British Queen.
For Prince William, it is likely that he will be styled as King William V when he succeeds his father, and Prince George will one day be known as King George VII.
George would be unlikely to take on his middle name of Louis as it is the first name of his younger brother – who holds ‘Arthur’ and ‘Charles’ as his middle names.
To mark his 12th birthday on July 22, Kensington Palace released a new picture of the young royal – as well as an adorable video of him laughing with his brother and sister.