King Charles led congratulations for the arrival of his latest great niece whose name, Athena, gave a nod to the Greek ancestry of this branch of the House of Windsor. But another Greek name also figured in the royal week and it didn’t get quite such a joyous reception.
Just before the Royal Family announced the same arrival of Athena Mapelli Mozzi, the second daughter of Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo, the Ministry of Defence revealed that King Charles had given his approval to a decision to name a brand new submarine HMS Achilles.
The Royal Navy described the choice as appropriate as an earlier HMS Achilles received battle honours during World War Two and this new submarine is being named in the year of the 80th anniversary of that conflict’s end.
However, others were less impressed. For the original intentions, drawn up in 2018 before Charles took the throne, were for the sub to be named HMS Agincourt. And that’s where things got heated around this royal decision.
Agincourt refers, of course, to the famous battle of 1415 which saw Henry V claimed a celebrated victory over the French. And as soon as the switch was announced, accusations began that this choice had been made to avoid offending one of the UK’s allies.
Two former Defence Secretaries joined the latest rallying cries associated with Agincourt. Grant Shapps called the switch ”woke nonsense” while fellow Tory, Sir Gavin Williamson, also called the move ”woke” and added he thought it was ”pathetic”.
Both men were taking aim at the new Labour government, rather than directly at King Charles himself, although it’s been reported that it was the Monarch who took a lead role in the decision to find an alternative to Agincourt.
And the final approval for all names does rest with The King. Suggestions are made by Royal Navy’s Ships’ Names and Badging Committee but they need royal sign off before they can go ahead.
Achilles has been used for several Royal Navy vessels in the past. The first was an eight gun schooner bought in 1747 and the most recent was a Leander class frigate, launched in 1968.
All took their name from the Greek warrior, Achilles, whose heroics are celebrated in the Iliad. He was said to be all but invincible but had a weak spot on his heel which ultimately cost him his life.
Whether his own Greek ancestry played any part in The King’s decision remains unknown. Charles III has always been proud of his paternal family – his father, Prince Philip, was born on Corfu in 1921 and was a grandson of King George I of Greece.
