'Regis' Suffix Granted

1929

Following King George V's convalescence at Craigweil House, the town of Bognor was granted the suffix 'Regis', meaning 'of the King', by royal permission. The grant was made in 1929 and the town has been formally known as Bognor Regis ever since. The suffix placed Bognor in a select group of English towns bearing royal designation, alongside Lyme Regis, Melcombe Regis, and a handful of others. The Regis suffix was intended to honour the King's connection with the town and to reflect the royal patronage that the convalescence represented. For the town, the new name was a marketing asset, distinguishing Bognor from the many other small seaside resorts along the south coast and conferring a dignity that the town's modest size and quiet reputation might not otherwise have warranted. The suffix has endured, and the town is universally known by its full name. An apocryphal story, widely repeated but never confirmed, holds that George V's last words were 'Bugger Bognor', supposedly uttered when told he would soon be well enough to visit the resort again. The story is almost certainly false, first appearing in print decades after the King's death, but it has become inseparable from the town's popular reputation and is cheerfully repeated by residents and visitors alike.