Or King Maxmilian I. Joseph of Bavaria had beeen Elector Maximilian IV. Joseph
Or the first King of Saxony had been Elector Frieddrich August III. before becoming King. 
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Willem VI prince of Orange was the son and heir of the last stadholder Willem V. He returned to the Netherlands in 1813 and was made Sovereign Prince Willem I of the country in december of that year. In march 1814 he was sworn in as such in a ceremony in the New Church in Amsterdam. A few months later while the Congress of Vienna was still discussing potential title he already has extended his realm with the Southern Netherlands and proclaimed King Willem I of the Netherlands. He had wanted to add the Nassau lands to this kingdom but they were exchanged for the Duchy of Luxembourg that was elevated to a Grand Duchy.
When in 1830 Belgium split away from the Kingdom and Grand Duchy a large chunk of Luxembourg ended up in Belgium.
The Dutch kings Willem I, II and III were as Guillaume I, II and III also Grand Dukes of Luxembourg.
I think it's a shame Willem did not continue his original regnal number as we could have had Willem IX Alexander at this moment.
From stadholder Willem V to king Willem III the reigning Orange often was as odds with his oldest son and heir. That as well as his desire to start fresh are probably why Willem I made the choice to go from VI to I.
His mother, the dowager Princess of Orange, made a very clear public statement by attending his investiture in Amsterdam as Sovereign Prince dressed in full mourning. That is how she as the widow of the last stadholder became the link between the old Republic and the new Kingdom.
It would be interesting to see what happens if the Princess of Orange calls her firstborn son and heir Lodewijk. The Kingdom of Holland had technically two kings name Lodewijk I and II so a new king could become Lodewijk III. But that is unlikely to happen as the name is not particularly popular in the Netherlands and im much more leaning to Alexander being a potential name for a next male sovereign in honour of the current King.
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I have similar questions regarding the Dutch reigning house. The Netherlands didn't become a kingdom until 1815. Before, the country was ruled by stadholders -- Prince Willem IV of Orange was the father of Willem V, who in turn was the father of Willem VI. But the latter was succeeded as head of the house by King Willem I -- not Willem VII. Previous MessagePrevious Message
In Hanover, there was George V of Hanover, continuing the British numbering despite being only the third Hanoverian king of that name.
But George I and George II were Electors of Hanover, so when George V became King of Hanover, he had four monarchs prior to him having the name George, even though the first two weren't Kings.
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