When King Charles III ascended the throne after Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022, Prince William and Kate Middleton were bestowed with new titles— The Prince and Princess of Wales. But rumor has it, William had wanted more for his new wife Middleton. He reportedly wanted her to receive the title of ‘Princess’ much sooner, right after their wedding in April 2011.
However, citing royal custom, Queen Elizabeth turned down his request. Instead, Kate and William received the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. At the time, a royal courtier disclosed that Prince William had preferred to go by his birth name rather than becoming a Duke. “He says he was born Prince William and wants to continue to be known as that.”
Additionally, royal expert, Kenneth Rose, told The Telegraph in 2010, “Kate is a commoner and could not be known as ‘Princess Catherine…It is up to the Queen what title she gives her and there have been one or two exceptions.” Rose explained, “When Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester passed away, the Queen bestowed upon the Duchess of Gloucester the title Princess Alice, as a token of appreciation for her many years of dedicated service.”
Rose argued that other royals would have sought comparable title alterations if Kate had been named Princess Catherine straight away after entering the royal family, as reported by Birmingham Live . The royal expert added, “If this happened, I am pretty certain that Princess Michael of Kent, for example, would ask to become Princess Marie-Christine. I should think that there will be some pressure put on him [William] not to change the system.” After the magnificent royal nuptial, Kate took on the title of Princess William of Wales, symbolizing her position as the wife to her husband’s title, in addition to the title of duchess.
King Charles, in his first speech upon acceding to the throne, changed titles for William and Kate. “As my heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles which have meant so much to me,” he declared. “Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty. With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the center ground where vital help can be given.” According to Harper’s Bazaar , before taking the titles of Wales, William and Kate also briefly held the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, which they received from Charles and Camilla, who are currently King and Queen Consort.