The suggested programme would reserve Ark Royal, and perhaps Eagle, for Malta-class carriers larger than the Audacious ships. Africa is the proposed candidate for the Ark Royal name because renaming New Zealand would disregard a wartime ally's association with the programme. The historical Audacious programme already involved repeated renamings, with Audacious becoming Eagle and Irresistible becoming Ark Royal. Keeping those earlier names for the smaller ships would leave familiar carrier names available for the largest new hulls.
Notable Point · 1:14:51-1:16:31
Saving Ark Royal and Eagle for the Malta class
The largest alternate carriers inherit the Royal Navy's most prestigious carrier names, with Africa treated as the Malta-class hull most easily renamed.