He was among the only people outside a royal inner circle who knew the answer to a question everyone was asking and on a chilly winter’s day he, briefly, became rather famous for that very reason. And given that the person who shared that secret with him was the always formidable Prince Philip, it’s perhaps little wonder that he kept it. That’s a very good reason to stay quiet.
John Stanley Clare was a registrar in Westminster when he was asked to carry out a very important job on one of the crisp days before Christmas in 1948. For he had been chosen for a moment of history. His job was to register the birth of a boy born to be King.
(Baron, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
On November 14th 1948, the then Princess Elizabeth had given birth to her first child. The new mum also happened to be heir to the throne and her new baby, as a boy, was guaranteed to inherit that role from her when she eventually became Queen. The interest in the young prince’s arrival was huge with headlines around the world marking the birth of a king to be. However, his parents kept one secret to themselves and their closest relations – the names of their son.
Enter John Stanley Clare. He was tasked with registering the birth of this very famous baby boy. For although the mother in question was first in line to the throne and although her son was destined to reign, rules remain rules even for royalty. All births must be registered in the district in which they took place within 6 weeks of them happening and the expectation of a crown changes nothing. John Stanley Clare took the details of this brand new prince, at a time when the world was still waiting to know the baby’s name.
(By Magnussen, Friedrich (1914-1987) – Stadtarchiv Kiel, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Wiki Commons)
In fact, the Pathe newsreel of the time provides a rather stark close up of the registrar and puts great emphasis on the fact that he knew the secret everyone else wanted to share. They didn’t have to wait too long.
The registration, like every other, is a public record. And before that first Christmas, the world knew that Elizabeth and Philip’s baby boy was named Charles Philip Arthur George. His father, Prince Philip, registered him and the details he gave were the same as those asked at every registration. The simple document shows when and where the child was born, the names of his parents and the proud papa who signed the registration. And, of course, the baby’s names.
(By Oslo Museum – CC BY-SA 4.0, Wiki Commons)
The wait for the official confirmation of what the new royal was called didn’t end the discussion, though. Charles was a rather rare name in the Royal Family and its origins have long been the subject of speculation. It’s thought that Elizabeth actually honoured her relative, the King of Norway, by naming her first son after him. However, this is where you need to concentrate. The King of Norway at the time was called Haakon VII but had been born Prince Karl of Denmark. Karl in English is Charles and, according to legend, Haakon/ Karl’s relations liked to call him Uncle Charles. Presumably after a curtsey or bow.
The baby boy born at Buckingham Palace is now one of the most famous men in the world and has written his name into the history books as King Charles III. But, for a moment, that name was a secret known only to his family and, briefly, to a man whose own name is now forgotten.
