Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Titles to Change When Prince Charles Becomes King

Prince William and Kate Middleton currently hold the official titles of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but as fans of the royal family know, those titles will likely change when William’s father, Prince Charles, becomes King.

Charles is currently next in line to the British throne, as he is the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II. Charles is currently known as the Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay.

According to royal historian Marlene Koenig, when Charles inherits the throne, William will also inherit his father’s titles, and will become the Duke of Cornwall when he is in England and the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland. Koenig told Hello! that Middleton will gain those same titles, though as a Duchess. The couple’s titles could be styled “of Cornwall and Cambridge,” and the same would likely go for their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

When Charles becomes King, his current title of Prince of Wales will also become available, and it is reportedly up to the ruling monarch to decide whether to bestow that title on William, much like Queen Elizabeth made the decision to christen her grandson the Duke of Cambridge upon his wedding.

As for Middleton, should she become the Princess of Wales, it would be the same title held by the late Princess Diana and would likely be styled for her as HRH Catherine, Princess of Wales.

While Charles is currently married to Camilla Parker Bowles, she is not styled as the Princess of Wales out of respect to the late royal. Instead, she is currently the Duchess of Cornwall and does not use the title of Princess of Wales and styles herself as Princess Consort.

When her husband takes the throne, it is unclear what Parker Bowles’ title will be, as it was previously indicated that she would keep the title of Princess Consort, which had never previously been used. A new update to the palace’s website seemed to suggest that the couple is now leaning towards her assuming the moniker of Queen Camilla.

Hello!‘s royal correspondent Emily Nash explained, “According to legal precedent, as wife of the monarch she will be Queen Consort, even if she styles herself as Princess Consort instead – just as she is technically now the Princess of Wales but has never used the title.”

While none of this is likely to happen for some time, it’s still interesting to think about.

Photo Credit: Getty / Chris Jackson