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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Neil Shaw

New titles for Royal family members including William, Kate and Archie

Key titles of a number of members of the Royal Family have changed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II - some changing automatically and some being conferred by the new king. King Charles III, now His Majesty rather than His Royal Highness, confirmed that Camilla will be Queen Consort and that William and Kate will be the Prince and Princess of Wales in his speech to the nation on Friday evening.

But there are a number of other title changes already announced, with more to come. This is what has happened so far:

King Charles

Charles has automatically become King due to the 17th century Bill of Rights (1689) and the Act of Settlement (1701).

A formal proclamation of him as the new monarch at an Accession Council in St James’s Palace in London takes place on Saturday.

The coronation of King Charles III will take place at a date in the future and could be many months away.

Queen Consort Camilla

Camilla is now the Queen Consort and will be crowned alongside Charles. A Queen Consort is the name given top a woman married to a king, but who does not share his constitutional powers as monarch. So (almost) every queen in England has been queen consort.

A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her spouse's social rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but historically she does not formally share the regnant's political and military powers, unless on occasion acting as regent.

In contrast, a queen regnant is a female monarch who rules in her own right and usually becomes queen by inheriting the throne upon the death of the previous monarch.

A queen dowager is the widow of a king, and a queen mother is a former queen consort who is the mother of the current monarch.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

As well as their titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate are now also the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall - having inherited the King and Queen Consort's former titles.

King Charles said: "As my Heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles which have meant so much to me.

"He succeeds me as Duke of Cornwall and takes on the responsibilities for the Duchy of Cornwall which I have undertaken for more than five decades.

"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 centre ground where vital help can be given."

It means Kate will be the first royal to use the title Princess of Wales since William's mother, Diana.

Kate and William will also take the titles Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when they are in Scotland.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have also seen their titles changed. Previously they were Prince George of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Prince Louis of Cambridge.

But now they could be known as Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales.

Archie and Lilibet

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children Archie and Lilibet are now entitled to HRH titles and are now technically Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The change comes under rules set out by King George V in 1917. As the children of a son of a sovereign – grandchildren of the newly named King Charles III – they also now have an HRH style title if they wish to use it.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s titles will not change.

Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex

Instead of being made a duke, Prince Edward was made Earl of Wessex when he married his wife Sophie in 1999.

However, now it is expected he will eventually get the title of a duke if his older brother the King approves this - and that the title will be Duke of Edinburgh.

It was announced at the time of Edward's wedding he would one day succeed his father as the Duke of Edinburgh with the blessing of the late Prince Philip and the late Queen.

If this change takes place Sophie, currently the Countess of Wessex, would become the Duchess of Edinburgh - a courtesy title which was held by the Queen.

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