How British royals choose their names when they’re on the throne

The crown passed to George II and then to George III (who was the grandson of George II and became his successor because him father, Prince Frederick, deceased) was the first in this line to be born with three names, George William Frederick. And then George III’s son and successor, George IV (born George August Frederick), actually gave his daughter and sole heir a second name.

However, Princess Charlotte Augusta predeceased her father, so George IV’s younger brother, another William Henry, succeeded him as King William IV. (So, current Prince Williamaka William Arthur Philip Louis, who as the eldest son of the reigning monarch is now the Prince of Wales, most likely to be William V.)

Then again, William IV didn’t bother to make it official with any of the women in his life either, so his countless children couldn’t succeed him. When he died, the monarchy turned to his niece, who was only the legitimate child of William’s next younger brother, Prince Edward.

It was a niece Queen Victoriawhose 63 years and seven months on the throne was the record until Queen Elizabeth II surpassed the mark in 2016 and ended up reigning for 70 years.