What’s in a name? King Charles III’s name has loaded history

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s new monarch is named King Charles III — but that was not inevitable. Charles Philip Arthur George could have chosen another name when he took the throne after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. Some observers thought the new king might prefer a different name because of the historical baggage associated with the two previous British monarchs called Charles. King Charles I is the only British sovereign whose rule led to revolution; he was executed in 1649 after losing a civil war with Parliament. His son ruled as Charles II after the monarchy was restored in 1660. He was nicknamed the “merry monarch” because of his hedonism and many romances.