When you think of the Elizabethan era, what springs to mind? Neck ruffles, discovering the New World, Women’s Lib, the falling of the Berlin Wall and the invention of the internet?

It’s weird, but despite having had Elizabeth the Second as our head of state for three quarters of a century, we don’t really think of ourselves as living through an Elizabethan era. Is it a name we only give a period of time after that period has ended? Did the Victorian era only earn its title in the annuls of history when Edward VII was already on the throne?

After Prince Phillip’s death last year, along with a number of bouts of ill health, thoughts began to turn to what happens when The Queen dies, including what the era we’ll find ourselves living in will actually be called. After Buckingham Palace sadly announced Her Majesty's death this evening, those questions have become even more pertinent.

What is King Charles' reign called?

We can turn to history – and a healthy dose of speculation to answer this. We’ve already had two Charles’ on the throne: Charles I, from 1625 – 1649, and Charles II, who ruled from the 1660 restoration of the monarchy to his death in 1685. Now, we have King Charles III.

In this history books, these reigns are known as the Carolean eras, from the Latin name for Charles, Carolus. But it might not be so simple this time round.

As fans of the monarchy – or fans of Netflix’s The Crown – will know, Queen Elizabeth broke with tradition when she chose to rule under her Christian name. Her father, King George VI, was actually called Albert – after his great-grandfather, husband of Queen Victoria – and even Victoria herself was named Alexandrina at birth. So there’s every possibility that Charles may stick with royal protocol and choose to be known as George VII.

Equally as likely, as in the case of the Tudor period which ended with Elizabeth I’s reign, the whole line of succession may come to be known as the Windsor era, from Charles V onwards. Others speculate that modern-times will call for the period to be known by landmarks other than the monarch, like ‘the digital age’.