Kate Middleton Receives New Title From King Charles

Kate Middleton has officially received a new title from her father-in-law, King Charles. PEOPLE reports that Buckingham Palace has announced new military appointments for several members of the royal family, including Middleton. Her new title is Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm, Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of Royal Air Force Coningsby.

“Following His Majesty’s Accession, The King is pleased to announce further military appointments for working Members of the Royal Family,” Buckingham Palace said in its announcement. “The new appointments will continue to reflect the close relationship between the Armed Forces and the Royal Family in His Majesty’s reign.” Additional Royal Family members who’ve been awarded new titles include King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, Prince Richard and Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester.

Notably, The Princess of Wales’ new title as Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm was previously held by King Charles’ brother, Prince Andrew. He retained the title until his exit from Royal duties in 2022. It’s no secret that Prince Andrew has been a controversial member of the U.K.’s Royal Family over the past few years, stemming from his connection to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Previously, Andrew settled a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. The allegations are related to other claims from Giuffre that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked and abused her when she was a teenager. She has alleged that the abuse began after she started working at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

According to Huffpost, the lawsuit claimed that Prince Andrew was a friend of Epstein and that he sexually assaulted Giuffre on multiple occasions. “During each of the aforementioned incidents, Plaintiff was compelled by express or implied threats by Epstein, Maxwell, and/or Prince Andrew to engage in sexual acts with Prince Andrew,” the lawsuit states. It goes on to explain that Giuffre “feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew due to their powerful connections, wealth, and authority.”

Additionally, the legal filing stated that Andrew’s alleged “sexual assault and battery of Plaintiff have caused her, and continue to cause her, significant emotional and psychological distress and harm.” Notably, in 2021 Giuffre issued a statement to ABC News, which was shared at the same time she filed her civil case. “I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me,” she said in the statement. 

“The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one’s life by speaking out and demanding justice,” Giuffre added. “I did not come to this decision lightly,” she added. “As a mother and a wife, my family comes first – and I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates – but I knew if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down.”