Prince William and Kate will assume 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 speech on Friday, his first as king.
“Our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and guide our national conversations,” Charles said in the pre-recorded message.
Drinkers at the Prince of Wales pub in central London watch a televised address by Britain’s King Charles III from the Blue Room at Buckingham Palace in London on September 9, 2022, the day after Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96.
Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images
William and Kate, parents of three, are now the first couple to use the titles Prince and Princess of Wales since they were used by William’s parents, Charles and the late Princess Diana.
Charles’ current wife, Camilla, has never used the title, but is instead the Duchess of Cornwall. She is now Queen Consort with Charles’s ascension to King.
William, now heir to the throne, also assumed the title of Charles Duke of Cornwall and inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, the private estate created in 1337 to provide financial independence for the crown prince and his family.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant outside Buckingham Palace in London, June 5, 2022
Jonathan Brady/AP
“As my heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles that mean so much to me,” Charles said in his speech. “He succeeds me as Duke of Cornwall and takes on the responsibilities for the Duchy of Cornwall that I have held for more than five decades.”
Kate, the former Duchess of Cambridge, inherits the new title of Duchess of Cornwall.
William and Kate and 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, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis, Prince William and Princess Charlotte arrive for an afternoon check-in at Lambrook School, near Ascot, England, September 7, 2022.
Jonathan Brady/Pool via AP
On the day of the Queen’s death, George, Charlotte and Louis attended their first day of school at Lambrook School in Berkshire, a preparatory school for children aged three to 13 in south-east England.