The most popular names in the British Monarchy

The British monarchy is steeped in history, with famous monarchs likes Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria carving their names into history by demonstrating strong leadership and in Henry VIII’s case, a willingness to dispose of his wives.

Despite Prince Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s baby, which is due any week now, not having much of a chance at sitting on the throne, the country are nonetheless eager to welcome the new addition to the royal family. People have been checking out the Royal Baby odds and predicting the sex of the baby as well as the name.

Ahead of the new arrival, we have taken a look at some of the most popular names in the history of the British monarchy.

Elizabeth

Although there have only been two Elizabeths who have sat on the British throne, both of them are regarded as great queens. There have also been three queen consorts – Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

Queen Elizabeth I was queen from 17th November 1558 until 24th March 1603 and she is considered to have been one of the greatest monarchs in British history. It was during her reign that William Shakespeare and Cristopher Marlowe helped English drama to flourish, as well as English adventurers such as Sir Francis Drake. A clever woman, Elizabeth knew when to interfere and when not to and England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada is considered her greatest military victory.

Queen Elizabeth II is the current queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, and has been since 6th February 1952, making her the longest reigning British monarch. Such has been her impact on Britain, there is a critically-acclaimed series on Netflix based on her life – The Crown.

George

There have been six King Georges in British history and will become seven when Prince George takes to the throne in the future. The two most prominent Georges were King George V and King George VI.

George V was a strong figure who had several problems to overcome during his reign. The First World War and the troubles in Ireland were the biggest that occurred, but he got through these. His son, Edward, caused problems at the end of George V’s reign as he had fallen in love with Wallis Simpson, a twice divorcee with two living ex-husbands.

George VI was the brother of Edward and became king when his brother abdicated the throne so he could marry Wallis Simpson. During his reign the country was once again in a world war, as Britain fought and won World War Two as part of the allies. He famously suffered from a stammer, but, with the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue, overcame the worst of it. This story was depicted in the critically-acclaimed film The King’s Speech.

Henry

Although there have been eight Henrys to have sat on the throne, the only one who really matters is Henry VIII. He is best known for having had six wives – two he divorced, two were beheaded, one died and the other survived.

It was the divorce from his first wife – Catherine of Aragon – which led to the split from the Roman Catholic faith. The Pope refused to grant Henry a divorce and so he created the Church of England in order to divorce Catherine.

Henry had two daughters who sat on the throne of England – Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, and Elizabeth I, who was the daughter of Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was infamously beheaded.

Queen Elizabeth II is the current queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, and has been since 6th February 1952, making her the longest reigning British monarch. Such has been her impact on Britain, there is a critically-acclaimed series on Netflix based on her life – The Crown.

George

There have been six King Georges in British history and will become seven when Prince George takes to the throne in the future. The two most prominent Georges were King George V and King George VI.

George V was a strong figure who had several problems to overcome during his reign. The First World War and the troubles in Ireland were the biggest that occurred, but he got through these. His son, Edward, caused problems at the end of George V’s reign as he had fallen in love with Wallis Simpson, a twice divorcee with two living ex-husbands.

George VI was the brother of Edward and became king when his brother abdicated the throne so he could marry Wallis Simpson. During his reign the country was once again in a world war, as Britain fought and won World War Two as part of the allies. He famously suffered from a stammer, but, with the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue, overcame the worst of it. This story was depicted in the critically-acclaimed film The King’s Speech.

Henry

Although there have been eight Henrys to have sat on the throne, the only one who really matters is Henry VIII. He is best known for having had six wives – two he divorced, two were beheaded, one died and the other survived.

It was the divorce from his first wife – Catherine of Aragon – which led to the split from the Roman Catholic faith. The Pope refused to grant Henry a divorce and so he created the Church of England in order to divorce Catherine.

Henry had two daughters who sat on the throne of England – Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, and Elizabeth I, who was the daughter of Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was infamously beheaded.

Thanks to Alan