Mnemonic verses of monarchs in England facts for kids

A mnemonic verse is a clever way to help you remember things, like a special trick for your memory! This particular verse was traditionally used by British schoolchildren to help them learn the names of the monarchs who have ruled England since William the Conqueror. It was a popular way to learn history by heart.

Remembering Kings and Queens: The Mnemonic Verse

There are a few different versions of this fun verse. Here's one of the most common ones:

Willie Willie Harry Stee

Harry Dick John Harry three;

One two three Neds, Richard two

Harrys four five six ... then who?

Edwards four five, Dick the bad,

Harrys (twain),^{VII VIII} Ned six (the lad);

Mary, Bessie, James you ken,

Then Charlie, Charlie, James again...

Will and Mary, Anna Gloria,

Georges four,^{I II III IV} Will four, Victoria;

Edward seven next, and then

Came George the fifth in nineteen ten;

Ned the eighth soon abdicated

Then George six was coronated;

After which Elizabeth

And that's all folks until her death.

Here is a slightly shorter version that some people use:

Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee,

Harry, Dick, John, Harry three;

One two three Neds, Richard two,

Harrys four five six, ... then who?

Edwards four five, Dick the bad,

Harrys (twain),^{VII VIII} Ned six (the lad);

Mary, Bessie, James you ken,

Then Charlie, Charlie, James again;

Will and Mary, Anna Gloria,

Georges four,^{I II III IV} Will four, Victoria;

Edward seven, George and Ted,

George the sixth, now Liz instead.

It's important to know that these verses don't include every single ruler. For example, they leave out some people who claimed the throne but weren't fully accepted, like Lady Jane Grey. Also, they don't mention the time when England was a republic, known as the Commonwealth of England. Both of these versions were written before Elizabeth II passed away in 2022. The current monarch is Charles III, who became king after his mother, Elizabeth II.

The Verse in Pop Culture

You might have heard parts of this verse in different places!

• The popular TV series Horrible Histories has a song called The Monarchs' Song. It lists the monarchs of England and uses some phrases that are similar to this traditional verse. The original song ended with Elizabeth II. However, an updated version was released in May 2023, adding a line for Charles III to make it current!

Remembering Royal Families: Another Mnemonic

There's also a different mnemonic that helps people remember the main royal families (or "houses") that have ruled England and Britain.

No Plan Like Yours To Study History Wisely

The first letter of each word in this phrase stands for a royal house:

Norman, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor, Stuart, Hanover, Windsor

Historians sometimes have different ideas about these royal families. For example, the Houses of Lancaster and York are often seen as branches of the Plantagenet family. Also, the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha changed its name to Windsor in 1917.

See also

• List of English monarchs
• List of British monarchs