Prince William and Kate Middleton Already Have New Titles

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published 8 September 2022

Eventually, Prince William and Kate Middleton are expected to be given the Prince and Princess of Wales titles by King Charles III. But already—just hours after Queen Elizabeth II’s death at 96 on Thursday—William and Kate’s social media accounts have been updated to reflect their newest title: the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge (previously just the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge).

The king and the queen consort previously held the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall titles prior to the king’s ascension to the throne today. Charles rarely went by his Cornwall title, most often going by Prince of Wales; Camilla nearly always went by hers, as the late Princess Diana was so widely known as the Princess of Wales during her lifetime.

According to The Mirror, “King Charles is also expected to make his oldest son William the Prince of Wales, the title traditionally handed to the heir to the throne.”

The king and the queen consort were already in Scotland when the Queen’s need for medical attention was announced earlier today. William traveled to Balmoral alongside Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, while Kate stayed in Windsor to pick children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis up from school at Lambrook—their first day was today.

It was confirmed by Charles’ office at Clarence House that he will reign as King Charles III. In a statement released today, the king said, “The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.”

The king and queen consort will return to London tomorrow from Balmoral.

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.