[Watermoon]

Why Edward's little brother called George VI? Not Edward VIIII?

[Section Leader]

Because it's very rare for two siblings to have the same name.

By the way, 9th is IX in Roman numerals.

[Doomhammer]

By the way, 9th is IX in Roman numerals.

Yes and no.

VIIII and similar numerals were used in earlier periods.

[Watermoon]

Do the royal family have few names? Since they are Viii and Vi, not XX I?

[Prosthetic Conscience]

Because 'Edward VIII' had just screwed up, and when British kings take a name other than the one they've been using up until then, it's a sign of respect for the previous user of it. Although Ed VIII's first name was Edward, he'd always been known by the family as 'David', his seventh (!) name, but I guess 'King David' sounded too Jewish. Albert, Duke of York, thought 'King Albert' didn't sound British enough either (since the family's use of Albert dates to the very German Prince Albert), and 'Edward IX' was out because of the behaviour of his brother (and, anyway, it wasn't one of his names - which were Albert Frederick Arthur George). So it was back to 'George', as his father had been.

Rumour has it that Prince Charles (Charles Philip Arthur George) is thinking of being "King George VII", since some establishment people think Charles II was a bit too much of a playboy, and not serious enough.

[J Oswald]

Prince Albert wouldn't become King Albert I in memory of his great-grandfather, Prince Albert, who died quite early and unexpectedly. There's also a tradition that there will never be a King John II, or even a Prince John, since the first King John was such an abysmal failure.

[Prosthetic Conscience]

Although there was actually a Prince John fairly recently - youngest brother of Edward VIII and George VI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Joh ... ed_Kingdom

But I have heard that there'll never be another King John because of how bad the first one was.

[J Oswald]

However, that Prince John died when he was 14 of severe epilepsy. The decision never to have another Prince John was made after he died.