Prince William has become the heir apparent after the death of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of his father King Charles III to the throne. But how many Williams have been King throughout history?
As he became King, Charles’ first job was to choose his name. He could have chosen from any of his names – Charles Philip Arthur George, and landed on the name King Charles III.
But what will William be called when he becomes King and how many people with his name have already sat on the throne?
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How many Williams have been King?
Throughout the countries that have had royal families, there have been many King Williams.
Sicily, the Netherlands and the German Empire have each had three King Williams throughout history, while Bimbia had two.
And so far in Britain, there have been five Williams on the throne.
The first was William I of England, better known as William the Conqueror. He reigned from 1066 to 1087.
William II of England reigned from 1087 to 1100, while William I, King of Scots, was in the position from 1165 to 1214. He was better known as William the Lion.
William of Orange was simultaneously William III of England and William II of Scotland from 1689 to 1702.
And William IV of the United Kingdom reigned from 1830 to 1837.
So it’s been rather a long time since we’ve had a King William.
Queen Elizabeth II has sadly passed away – HITC
What will William be called when he becomes King and where is he in line for the throne?
William has been bestowed the title Prince of Wales by his father, the King. His wife Kate Middleton is also now known as the Princess of Wales, a title previously held by her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
William will become King in one of two ways – either when his father dies or if he should choose to abdicate the throne.
Like his father, William will be able to choose how he will be known as King.
He can choose from any of his names – William Arthur Philip Louis.
If he goes down the same route as his father, he will become King William V.
William and Kate’s titles also changed to the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge after Charles became King.
William also automatically assumed the titles the Earl of Chester and the Duke of Rothesay, for use when in Scotland.
In turn, Kate also became the Countess of Chester and Duchess of Rothesay.
Who is in line for the throne after Prince William?
According to the Royal Family website, there are currently 23 people in line for the throne.
After William, the next person in line is his eldest son Prince George, followed by his younger sister Princess Charlotte and brother Prince Louis.
After that is the Duke of Sussex Prince Harry followed by his children Archie and Lilibet.
However, the line of succession will change if Prince George grows up to have children of his own.
If he does, his children will fall in line behind him.