What the new era may be called now the Elizabethan Era is over

With the Elizabethan era at an end following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a new era referencing King Charles III is now underway.

It will be tough for many to imagine a UK without the Queen as its monarch, with the majority of people in the country having been born while she was already in power and therefore having known nothing but the Elizabethan era our entire lives.

As a result, the Queen's passing on 8 September and her son Charles becoming the new King has prompted some to question what the new era will be called.

You might be have heard previously about the Victorian era or the Edwardian era, so it would be easy to predict it might be something like the 'Charlesian' era - though admittedly that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Other suggestions from curious members of the public include 'the third Charlie era', 'Charlian' and the slightly more informal 'Chuckian'.

While these are all good suggestions, there's a good chance it could be none of the above.

There have been two Charles on the throne prior to the current King Charles III, namely Charles I, whose reign ended in 1649, and Charles II, who reigned from 1660 to 1685, but neither of these rulers had a 'Charlesian' era.

The reign of King Charles I is referred to as the Caroline era, while the second was the Carolean era. Both of the terms come from the word 'Carolus', the Latin version of the name Charles.

It's possible, then, that the reign of King Charles III could be the New Caroline era or the New Carolean era, in a similar way to how Queen Elizabeth II's reign was referred to as the New Elizabethan era after the rule of Queen Elizabeth I from 1558 to 1603.

The official name for the era remains to be seen, with Charles set to officially be proclaimed King at a historic Accession Council in an ancient ceremony at St James’s Palace on Saturday (10 September), two days after the Queen's passing at her estate in Balmoral.

The name for the era is likely to come to light as his reign gets underway, though it is possible that historians might allude to his time on the throne as part of the wider era of the House of Windsor.

Tomorrow's event will mark the first time the accession council will be televised.