Will William and Kate's Titles Change After the Coronation?

(Image credit: Getty)

published 5 May 2023

Just one day after Her late Majesty’s death on September 8, Prince William and Kate Middleton were named the new Prince and Princess of Wales by the new King Charles, who himself was the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history. Prior to their appointment as Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate had been the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge since their wedding day on April 29, 2011; those titles were conferred upon them by Queen Elizabeth to mark their nuptials.

And, on May 6, nothing will change in terms of their titles, with the couple expected to serve in that capacity until they take the throne, whenever that may be. (William is now first in line to the throne since King Charles’ accession.) Christopher Andersen, author of The King: The Life of Charles III, tells Marie Claire exclusively that, like Charles and wife Camilla before him, the Prince and Princess of Wales titles aren’t where William and Kate’s titles end—not by a long shot.

“William and Kate are now also Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Chester, the Earl and Countess of Strathearn, Baron and Baroness of Renfew, and Baron and Baroness of Carrickfergus,” he says. “As first in line to the throne, William also became Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.”

The couple’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, “were also bumped up a notch,” Andersen says. Formerly known as George of Cambridge, Charlotte of Cambridge, and Louis of Cambridge (as a reflection of their parents’ titles), they are now George of Wales, Charlotte of Wales, and Louis of Wales.

Royal expert Kinsey Schofield, host of “To Di for Daily” podcast, tells Marie Claire exclusively that William and Kate “will always be Prince and Princess of Wales until they become King and Queen Consort.”

So, will William have a grand investiture as Prince of Wales like his father did back in 1969? “Charles’ investiture was a huge moment and a big ceremony—he wore ermine-lined robes, and a crown was placed on his head by Queen Elizabeth,” Roberta Fiorito, cohost of Royally Obsessed, a Gallery Media Group podcast, tells Marie Claire exclusively. “William and Kate have an eye on the cost-of-living crisis and seem to instead be nurturing their relationship with Wales in other ways in the runup to the Coronation”—including multiple visits there, like just last week. “While we might wish for William to go through the same thing Charles went through at 18 or 19 years old, it won't be on as big of a scale or that formalized,” she says.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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