King Charles was never keen on Prince William and Prince Harry's names and wanted his sons to be called something different. It's emerged that William would have been named after Arthur, the fictional monarch who pulled Excalibur from the lake had the now King gotten his own way.
When the heir to the throne was born in June 1982, it took his parents Charles and Princess Diana a week to announce his name to the world. According to royal experts and historians, the then Prince Charles had his heart set on naming his son Arthur, the Mirror reports.
However, the couple went with the "more robust name" of William after Diana suggested it. Robert Lacey, the writer behind the biography Battle of Brothers, previously said: "Diana, Princess of Wales, proposed a more robust name — William, as in 'William the Conqueror,' victor of the famed Battle of Hastings in 1066."
However, the name Arthur was not dismissed entirely as it is one of William's middle, names along with Philip, in honour of his late grandfather, and Louis, which is thought to be inspired by Lord Louis Mountbatten. Diana and Charles had also apparently disagreed on the name of their younger son.
The King is said to have wanted to call him Albert, which was the real name of King George VI. Instead, their second child was finally introduced to the world as Harry.
There are several theories suggesting who King Arthur really was. He is said to have lived during the sixth century, in the early Dark Ages from when there are very few contemporary records to help confirm the truth behind the legend.
Some scholars believe Arthur was a mythical figure who was transformed into a 'historical king' in later records. Others however say there was a real man behind the legends.
Some possible evidence of this includes the fact that the name gained a lot of popularity after the time period that King Arthur supposedly lived in. There is a record of a king of south west Wales named Arthur in the late-sixth or early-seventh century.
The news comes as King Charles has been praised for the way he handled himself during his 'stand-off' with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex amid their doubted attendance of his and the Queen Consort's Coronation. The historic event is set to take place on Saturday May 6 at Westminster Abbey and it's still unclear whether or not Harry and Meghan will be attending or not.
Charles made it clear that he wanted his youngest son and wife to be involved with the proceedings but their silence has caused doubts on whether they will make the journey across the Atlantic at all. The monarch has been hailed for 'playing a blinder' for putting the ball in the Sussexes court, which could backfire if they do attend the service.
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