King Charles III coronation: When did we last have a King Charles and what happened to previous British monarchs King Charles I and King Charles II?

The current monarch - King Charles III - chose his Christian name as his official name, much like his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday, September 8, 2022. Through this decision, both monarchs broke royal tradition.

The current King will take the official title in the form of a coronation on May 6, 2023 - although he is not the first King to be named Charles.

As his name suggests, Charles III is the third King Charles in British history and the first since the 1600s. The previous two left legacies that were not so popular with the public or the monarch.

When did the UK last have a King Charles?

The reigns of father and son Charles I and Charles II respectively spanned from 1625 to 1685.

Both monarchs saw major events that would change the course of history including the overthrow and restoration of the monarchy, the Great Fire of London, and the plague.

Charles I was the only British monarch to have been publicly tried and executed for treason, while Charles II - also known as the Merry Monarch - was exiled for many years, fathering a dozen illegitimate children by numerous mistresses.

What is the history of King Charles I and II?

Charles I was considered an unpopular king whose reign saw the brief downfall of the monarchy and the establishment of an English republic before it was restored 11 years later.

He was born in November 1660 and moved to England from Scotland when his father, King James VI of Scotland, inherited the throne in 1603.

When his brother, Henry Fredrick Prince of Wales, died at the age of 18 in 1612, Charles I became heir apparent.

He married Bourbon Princess Henrietta Maria of France in 1625 which angered protestant religious groups.

He also fought with parliament, which wanted to reduce his powers, while many subjects opposed his policies, including levying taxes without parliamentary consent.

He attempted to force the church of Scotland to acquire Anglican traditions which resulted in religious conflicts and this then led to the strengthening of English and Scottish parliaments, helping to pave the way for his eventual downfall.

Charles I fought the armies of the English and Scottish parliaments but he was vanquished in 1645 and captured. Following his temporary period of escape, he was re-captured and executed in Whitehall in 1649 after being tried and convicted of high treason.

His son, Charles II, then took the throne and was proclaimed King of Scotland after the execution and attempted to reclaim England but he was defeated by Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 before he fled to mainland Europe where he spent nine years in exile.

After Oliver Cromwell’s death in 1658 and the resignation of his son, Richard, the year after, parliament proclaimed Charles II king and invited him to return to England in 1660.

Five years on, Charles II fled London to Salisbury as the plague hit London, killing thousands of people.

The year after that, in 1666, Charles II and his brother James joined and directed the firefighting effort during the Great Fire of London.

Charles II had no legitimate children, but did have 12 children by seven mistresses, which resulted in the nickname ‘Old Rowley’, the name of his favourite racehorse stallion.

The present Duke of Buccleuch, Richmond, Grafton and St Albans descend from Charles, while Diana, Princess of Wales, was a descendant of two of Charles’s illegitimate sons, the Dukes of Grafton and Richmond.

Princess Diana’s son, Prince William, Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge and heir to the British throne, may be the first British monarch descended from Charles II.