What Will Prince William and Kate Middleton's New Titles Be as Charles Becomes King?
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, her eldest son Charles will become the new King of England, which will also lead to new titles for his son Prince William, and William's wife, Kate. According to Mirror, William — as heir to the throne —now automatically assumes three titles for use when in Scotland: Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester and Duke of Rothesay. Upon Kate is bestowed the female equivalents of these titles: Duchess of Cornwall, Countess of Chester and Duchess of Rothesay.
Notably, the couple is not giving up the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as the new titles will simply be additions. Royal references to the pair will now read as TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. The new titles will impact William and Kate's children as well, with their oldest son George now Prince George of Cornwall and Cambridge, their daughter Charlotte is Princess Charlotte of Cornwall and Cambridge, and their youngest son Louis is now Prince Louis of Cornwall and Cambridge. Interestingly, it is also possible that Charles could give William the title of Price of Wales, as this is a title that is given by the monarch, which will now be Charles. He was previously given the title by his late mother.
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning royal monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, died on Thursday at 96 years old. Her death comes just under 18 months after the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, her husband of more than 73 years. The Queen died at Balmoral, her beloved palace in the Scottish Highlands, which was purchased by her great-great-grandfather Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1852. She was surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow," the palace said in a statement. "Flags across the U.K. were lowered to half-mast ahead of a national minute's silence and the start of an official period of mourning."
Born on April 21, 1926, Elizabeth assumed the throne in 1953 after the death of her father, King George VI. She is survived by her four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. The Queen is also survived by many grandchildren, including Prince William, and his brother Prince Harry. In addition, Elizabeth also had eight great-grandchildren.