Royal title changes: William to become Prince of Wales

Royal title changes: William to become Prince of Wales

The Queen's death means that certain members of the royal family have now inherited new titles

As Charles’s eldest son, Prince William will now oversee the estate of the Duchy of Cornwall

Prince William and his wife Catherine will soon become the Prince and Princess of Wales, making her the first woman to use the title since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales .

The couple, who until yesterday were known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have already become the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Duke automatically inherited the dukedom of Cornwall from his father, who is now the King. As heir to the throne, he will also become the Prince of Wales, but this is not automatic. Prince William needs to be created as such by his father in a formality expected to happen in the near future.

He will be given the title through the mechanism of Letters Patent, before an investiture ceremony is held in Wales at a later date.

It will be a significantly shorter process than that for the young Prince Charles, who was made Prince of Wales at the age of nine in 1958, five years after the Queen ascended to the throne, but the public ceremony was not held until July, 1969.

As the 25th Duke of Cornwall, William is entitled to the multimillion-pound annual net surplus from the Duchy of Cornwall landed estate. The income will cover the cost of both his public and private life and that of his family.

He has also inherited the Scottish titles the Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.

The new Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge will one day be known as the Princess of Wales, the first person to use the title since her late mother-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are now the Princes and Princess of Cornwall and Cambridge.

They will eventually become “of Wales”.

Following the death of the Queen, Camilla will now be referred to as Queen Consort. 

The title of "Queen (Regnant)" is reserved for a monarch who reigns in her own right. "Queen Consort", however, is the official title given to the wife of a monarch.

Having previously been given the Queen's blessing, Camilla will be crowned side-by-side with her husband, with the couple henceforth called the “King and Queen”.

The role of a Queen Consort is primarily to provide companionship to the monarch as well as moral and practical support during the sovereign's programme of public engagements, such as hosting heads of state or attending charity balls.

Unlike the King or Queen Regnant, the consort does not hold a formal position in the structure of government, and thus, does not have set tasks and responsibilities.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor is now technically a prince due to rules set out by King George V in 1917.

When Archie was born he was too far down the line of succession for such a title according to George V’s restrictions, but now, as the son of a son of a sovereign, he can be a HRH and a prince.

Archie was allowed to become Earl of Dumbarton - one of the Duke’s subsidiary titles - when he was born, or could have been known as Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, but Buckingham Palace said his parents had decided he should be known as Master Archie instead.

Similarly, Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor is now a princess, and would be HRH Princess Lilibet of Sussex if she chose to use a title.

In 2021, it was suggested Charles - in a bid to limit the number of key royals - intended, when he became monarch, to prevent Archie becoming a prince.

To do so, he will have to issue a Letters Patent amending Archie's right to be a prince and Lili's right to be a princess.

Until that potentially happens or if it does not, Archie and Lili remain a prince and princess, whether their parents choose to use the titles or not.

A question remains over the future title of Prince Edward, the current Earl of Wessex. On his wedding day, it was announced that he would one day be made the Duke of Edinburgh after the death of his father.

The decision now rests with the new King. Recent news reports have suggested he does not intend to confer it on his younger brother, keeping it instead for a grandchild higher in the line of succession.