King Charles ‘vetoed’ naming Royal Navy submarine HMS Agincourt – to avoid offending the French

The King intervened over the renaming of HMS Agincourt to avoid offending the French, it was claimed last night.

Charles reportedly vetoed the name — originally approved by Queen Elizabeth II — of the Royal Navy submarine which is now called HMS Achilles.

His Majesty was reportedly concerned that naming the sub after the 1415 battle would humiliate the French over their historic defeat.

The King is said to have made his intervention over the name of the £1.5million vessel last year, The Daily Express reported.

A source told the newspaper: ‘The King personally stepped in and made it clear the name had to be changed because he didn’t want to upset the French.’

HMS Agincourt, an Astute-class hunter-killer submarine, was originally announced by then-defence secretary Sir Gavin Williamson in 2018.

It would have been the sixth Royal Navy vessel to have been named after one of England’s greatest military victories.

Sources suggested that Achilles was considered more appropriate than Agincourt, which was a land battle, and stressed that an Achilles previously fought at Trafalgar, another battle with the French.

 King Charles (pictured at Sandringham last week) is said to have made his intervention over the name of the £1.5million vessel last year,

Former Tory defence secretaries quickly weighed in when the decision was announced with Sir Gavin describing the decision as ‘pathetic’.

He said: ‘It is so pathetic that the Government is so ashamed of our history that they are literally renaming it.

‘Next they will probably want to rename HMS Queen Elizabeth for fear the Spaniards might be upset about the Armada.’

Grant Shapps, a fellow former defence secretary, said: ‘Renaming the HMS Agincourt is nothing short of sacrilege.

‘This submarine carries a name that honours a defining moment in British history.

‘Under Labour, woke nonsense is being put ahead of tradition and our Armed Forces’ proud heritage.’

Another former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace told Times Radio that the French would not have been offended by the name.

He added: ‘We’re very close to the French. The French are one of our strongest allies. They don’t get put off by names like that.

Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace (pictured) told Times Radio that the French would not have been offended by the name

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman would not comment on why the name had been dropped

‘I mean, that shows a very pathetic grasp of foreign policy and relationships.’

Despite the decision initially being blamed on ‘woke’ Navy chiefs, Charles — who commanded a minesweeper in his Navy service from 1971 to 1976 — is said to have intervened.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

The Royal Navy declined to say why the nuclear-powered submarine’s original name had been changed.

A spokesman said: ‘We are proud of our nation’s rich military history and the many famous battles fought.

‘The seventh boat in the Astute class is to be called Achilles — a name which is particularly appropriate this year as we mark the VE and VJ Day 80th anniversaries.

‘The name was proposed by the Royal Navy Ships Names and Badging committee and confirmed by the Palace.’

Downing Street aides refused to be drawn on why the name had been dropped.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman would not comment on why the name had been dropped, saying: ‘The name was proposed by the Names and Badging Committee and approved by His Majesty the King. I obviously can’t get into any more detail on that.’

The monarch — as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces — would have the final approval of any name after the Defence Secretary signs it off.