BEIJING, Dec. 26 -- Prince Charles has reportedly discussed rejecting the title King Charles III when he accedes to the throne because of its associations with Britain's bloody past.

    "There have been many conversations with the prince about this. It is an assumption among us all that it will happen," one of two unnamed "trusted friends" told the Times newspaper.

Click for group photos of Prince Charles & his wife Camilla

    The other was quoted as saying: "They (the Royal Family) will decide at the time, but he has talked about George."

    Prince Charles ¡ª whose full name is Charles Philip Arthur George ¡ª is said to favor the title George VII when he takes over from his mother, the current Queen Elizabeth II.

    George VI, who died in 1952, was the queen's father, who took over unexpectedly after his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated over his relationship with an American divorcee.

    The Times said the move away from Charles stems from its associations with Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649 following the English Civil War at the start of Oliver Cromwell's short-lived republic.

    The executed monarch's son, Charles II, spent 18 years in exile and returned to Britain in 1660 but was nicknamed "The Merry Monarch" because of his string of mistresses.

    A spokesman for Clarence House, Prince Charles's official London residence, was quoted as saying: "One of the questions that we have asked is what he (Charles) will be known as. The decision will be taken at the time."

(Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)