Prince Charles’ Company
Prince Charles’ Company or Prince Charles’ Men was a playing company in
early modern London. The group was formed in 1608 as the Duke of York’s Men
after Charles, who was then Duke of York and the second
son of King James I and Anne of
Denmark. When Charles’ elder brother, Prince Henry, died in 1612, the company
gradually became known as Prince Charles’
Company. Andrew Gurr identifies this company as Prince Charles’ Company (I) to distinguish it from the
company established in 1631 after the birth of the future King Charles II, also called Prince Charles’ Company, but
usually referred to by theatre scholars as Prince Charles’ Company (II) (Gurr 395).
