EXCLUSIVE: The Poignant and Huge Decision King Charles Made When He Took the Throne That Left His Butler Stunned
King Charles made a heartfelt decision upon taking the throne that left his butler shocked.
Oct. 17 2025, Published 5:36 p.m. ET
King Charles made a deeply personal and unexpected decision when he ascended the throne – one that, according to his former butler, left even those closest to him "completely shocked."
RadarOnline.com can reveal Grant Harrold, who worked as a butler for the then Prince Charles and Camilla at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire for seven years, said he was stunned when the monarch chose to reign as King Charles III rather than adopting the name George VII, which many inside the royal household had long expected.
A Butler's Candid Reflection
Charles shocked even close aides by rejecting 'George VII' as his royal name.
Harrold, now an etiquette expert, described his job as "an absolute dream come true" and said he found the King to be "a very gentle character" who "didn't once raise his voice" during his years of service.
Reflecting on that period, he recalled an especially poignant conversation with the future monarch about what it would mean to take the crown.
"He said when that job comes you lose a parent," Harrold said.
But it was another exchange – about what name the new sovereign would choose – that stayed with him most vividly.
"I remember asking him what he would be, and he said to me, 'I could be Charles, but I could also be George VII,' which is quite nice because his grandfather was George VI," Harrold said.
The Name That Surprised the Palace
The monarch’s decision stunned courtiers who expected him to honor his grandfather.
According to royal sources at the time, staff at Highgrove and Clarence House had widely believed Charles would take his grandfather's name to symbolize continuity and stability following Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022.
"The assumption inside the household was always that he would honor his grandfather by becoming George VII," one former courtier said. "It would have been seen as a safe, traditional choice – one that avoided the complicated legacy of past King Charleses."
Charles' decision to retain his own name, therefore, surprised many within royal circles.
Harrold said: "We were getting the impression that he would probably be George VII. So I was shocked when they announced he was Charles III."
A Historical Perspective
George VI sets a precedent by choosing a regal name different from his own.
Historians note Charles' grandfather, George VI, was himself one of several monarchs to reign under a name different from the one they were given at birth. Born Albert Frederick Arthur George, he chose 'George' to signal continuity after the abdication crisis of his brother, Edward VIII.
Queen Victoria, too, had been christened Alexandrina Victoria, while her son Edward VII dropped 'Albert' at his mother's request when he ascended the throne in 1901.
A royal source said: "A monarch's chosen name always carries deep symbolism. "The name Charles is steeped in both glory and controversy – from the downfall of Charles I to the comeback of Charles II.
"By choosing to keep it, the King was making a statement. It shows he wanted to reclaim the name's legacy and prove he isn't intimidated by the shadows of history."
The Moment He Became King
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Charles reclaims the legacy of the name 'Charles' with confidence and purpose.
Harrold said the moment Charles officially became King was both moving and solemn.
"He had waited his entire life for that role," he said. "But he always understood the cost – that to become King meant losing his mother. That's something he spoke about with great sadness, even years before it happened."
Charles' accession was formally announced on September 8, 2022, hours after the death of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral.
Then-Prime Minister Liz Truss confirmed the new monarch's chosen name in a televised address, declaring: "Today the Crown passes, as it has done for more than a thousand years, to our new monarch, our new head of state – His Majesty King Charles III."
Long live the King, she added – and with that, history's most unexpected name choice was sealed.
