It’s the question that almost every royal fan has. Prince William’s kids’ titles might be at the forefront of everyone’s minds when the Prince of Wales will take the throne. Turns out, it’s not as complicated as we thought.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have three children, Prince George (born 2013), Princess Charlotte (born 2016), and Prince Louis (born 2018). Prince William is the heir apparent as his father King Charles currently rules, while his children are second, third, and fourth in line of succession, respectively. In 2015, the Perth Agreement ended the principle of male primogeniture, so that men will no longer take precedence over women in line to the throne, and ended the bar on anyone in the line of succession marrying a Roman Catholic.
Does this affect what’s going on currently? Not necessarily, but it is the first time a male (Prince Louis) falls behind a woman (Princess Charlotte) in succession. Like anyone in the Royal family, there’s specific kinds of rules that they must follow in order to have their titles. For example, when King Charles ascended to the throne, he bestowed Prince William and Kate Middleton as the Prince and Princess of Wales. Therefore making their children, His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales, Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Wales, and His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Wales.
Let’s take a look at Prince William’s kids’ titles once he becomes King.
-
Prince George
Image Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images Prince George will inherit some hefty titles as he is the second in line for the throne. When Prince William becomes King, Prince George will hold the title of the heir apparent and will receive the dukedoms of both Cornwall and Rothesay.
Prince George will also inherit a Duke title when he becomes married. These titles are bestowed rather than inherited. Queen Elizabeth bestowed Prince William with the Duke of Cambridge title when he married Kate Middleton, and she did the same for Prince Harry with the Duke of Sussex when he married Meghan Markle. It’s also likely that Prince William will bestow the titles of Prince Of Wales to George when he becomes King, since Prince Charles gave it to William and Kate the day after he became King.
-
Princess Charlotte
Image Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images As Prince William and Kate Middleton’s only daughter, and third in line to the throne, Princess Charlotte will likely receive the Princess Royal title. The title was only bestowed to 7 Royal women so far, and Princess Anne currently holds the title. It is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. However, only one person alive can hold the title.
-
Prince Louis
Image Credit: Jonathan Brady – Pool/Getty Images As fourth in line for the throne, Prince Louis is likely to receive the Duke of York title, which is customary for the second eldest son of a monarch. Prince William would have to bestow the title to his son, but could vary since only one Duke of York could exist. Prince Andrew currently holds the title, so he would have to pass away before Louis could have it.
-
Kate Middleton
Image Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images. When William takes the throne, Kate Middleton will become Queen Consort. The title is vastly different from Queen Regent, which Queen Elizabeth took the title of. The royal family’s website states, “The role of the Queen’s Consort is primarily to provide companionship and moral and practical support to the Monarch. The Consort does not hold a formal position in the structure of government…[or] see State papers or hold official audiences.”
-
Prince William
Image Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images. Prince William has the option to stick to his name William upon coronation making him King William V. He also has the option to take up his middle names Arthur, Philip, or Louis, or George, as a regnal name.
King Charles’ full title is as follows: “Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.” So safe to say that those titles can also fall upon William as well.
Related: Here’s The British Line Of Succession
