A new arrival named after King Charles has the most bizarre history as he prepares for a future as guardian of the Kingdom.
- Historic Royal Palaces have introduced a new raven chick at the Tower of London who’s been named after King Charles in his coronation year.
- The history behind the ravens of the tower have seen them surrounded by a legend that warns of the kingdom’s downfall if they leave.
- This royal news comes as “handsome” Prince William outlined a 20 year plan for a more recent acquisition as fans eagerly anticipate his “tremendous” reign.
King Charles might be the third monarch to have this traditional name but only a few members of the immediate Royal Family are named after him. Both Prince Harry and Prince Louis, who are high up in the royal line of succession, have Charles as a middle name whilst Princess Charlotte’s first name is the feminine form of her grandfather’s moniker.
Now there’s a new arrival named after King Charles who’s settling in at the Tower of London and though he won’t ever see Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, he has an equally big future ahead of him. Taking to Instagram, Historic Royal Palaces shared a special video as they introduced their new raven chick Rex to the world.
“Named for the Latin title meaning “King, Ruler”, Rex joins our resident ravens to get up to mischief around the Tower of London and protect the Kingdom from falling! 🦅,” the caption declared.
Historic Royal Palaces went on to explain on their website that they believed the choice of Rex for the new arrival named after King Charles was “appropriate” given he was born in the year of His Majesty’s coronation. They also shared that the name “echoes the new cypher of King Charles” which features the CR for Charles Rex.
This cypher not only appears above the entrance to the Jewel House where the Crown Jewels are kept but on the uniforms of the Yeoman Warders who guard the tower.
Since arriving from Wales, Rex is currently living in quarantine in an enclosure by himself as he gets accustomed to his new home. Though as revealed in the video clip, he’s already attracted the interest of another raven, Poppy, who flew down to see what was going on.
Before long he’ll be taken out to join her, Jubilee, Harris, Georgie, Edgar and Branwen as Guardians of the Tower. And little Rex has a big future ahead of him thanks to a bizarre legend that’s existed for centuries.
Historically the ravens of the Tower of London have long been surrounded by legend which states that if they should leave their home there, both the tower and the kingdom will fall. According to the Tower of London website, it’s said that back in the 17th century King Charles II was the first to insist that the ravens should be protected.
He had apparently heard the tale that the crown and tower would fall if they left the fortress and was keen to ensure this wouldn’t happen. King Charles II reportedly heeded the warning despite the complaints of his astronomer who felt the ravens prevented him from carrying out his work at the White Tower.
So in-keeping with this old legend it seems Rex will not only be a guardian of the Tower of London, but in some ways a guardian of the entire kingdom as one of the birds who supposedly ensure it won’t fall.
