Prince William and Kate will take the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales following the death on Thursday of William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
William’s father, King Charles III, announced their new titles in a nationally televised address on Friday, his first as king.
“Today I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been privileged to bear for so much of my life and duty,” Charles said in a pre-recorded speech. “With Catherine by her side, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginalized to the center where vital help can be given.”
William and Kate, who have three children, are now the first couple to use the titles Prince and Princess of Wales since they were used by Charles and the late Princess Diana, who divorced in 1996.
Charles’s current wife, Camilla, has never used the title Princess of Wales, passing instead to Duchess of Cornwall. She is now queen consort with Charles’s accession to the throne.
In taking on the title of Princess of Wales, Kate “enjoys the history that goes with it,” a royal source told ABC News.
The source added that Kate “naturally wants to look to the future as she creates her own path.”
William, now heir to the throne, also assumes the title of Duke of Cornwall from Charles and inherits the Duchy of Cornwall, the private estate which was established in 1337 to provide financial independence for the heir and his family.
Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Duchess Kate of Cambridge appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant outside Buckingham Palace in London on June 5. 2022.
Jonathan Brady/AP
“As heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles which have meant so much to me,” Charles said in his speech on Friday. “He succeeds me as Duke of Cornwall and assumes the responsibilities of the Duchy of Cornwall, which I have held for over five decades.”
Kate, formerly Duchess of Cambridge, inherits the new title of Duchess of Cornwall.
William and Kate, along with their children Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, recently moved from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
From left, Britain’s Prince George, Duchess Kate of Cambridge, Prince Louis, Prince William and Princess Charlotte arrive for an afternoon check-in at Lambbrook School, near Ascot, England, September 7, 2022.
Jonathan Brady/Pool via AP
This week, George, Charlotte and Louis attended their first day of school at Lambbrook School in Berkshire, a preparatory school for children aged 3 to 13 in the south east of England.
