Prince William and Catherine Middleton Possible Titles

[Lumutqueen]

Well technically, Catherine will become a Windsor when she marries.
Or a Mountbatten-Windsor if William and Harry follow their father and Aunts line.

I could imagine on their passports it would be Catherine/William/Henry Windsor.

It has always puzzled me that they go by Wales when they have a surname.

 

[MRSJ]

Thank you- so if she wasn't marrying a Royal she'd actually become Catherine Windsor- Thanks!

 

[Lumutqueen]

That's not true.

I think, i'm correct in saying that William and Harry have the surname Windsor. So when Catherine marries William, her surname should change from Middleton to Windsor. In private, Catherine will be called Kate or Catherine which ever the family prefer.

William is known as William Wales in his army capacity, I have no idea how he signs his name etc, whether he uses Windsor or Wales.

But like I said I don't know why they are known as Wales rather than Windsor.

 

[branchg]

This might be a silly question but in his "private" life William goes by William Wales and Harry by Harry/Henry Wales does this mean Catherine could go be Catherine Wales in "private"? I know officially she'll be HRH Princess William of Wales but could she decide to go by another name privately? Like, what name do they carry on their passports?

All Royal Highnesses use special diplomatic passports when they travel outside Britain. Any other legal documents requiring a surname would be "Windsor" for descendants of George V or "Mountbatten-Windsor" for descendants of Elizabeth II.

The use of "Wales" is informal and Diana used this as well when married. But officially Catherine would be "Mountbatten-Windsor" after her marriage, but obviously titled as a Peer or Princess of the UK as her style.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Is it officially Mountbatten-Windsor now? I thought it was optional for the royals to choose that name, but it was still officially Windsor.

 

[Zonk]

When Anne married she signed Mountbatten Windsor.

And I believe that William used William Wales as his graduation name from St. Andrews. But I think Mountbatten Windsor is the legal name.

 

[Lady Ann]

I read somewhere when Charles married he signed Mountbatten Windsor as well...As did Andrew.

 

[AnnEliza]

Please, don't generalize. I am a member of the US press and I take great pride, as does every other journalist I know, in getting things correct, even if it means lengthy research. I can cringe when I read articles from other reporters where it's clear they haven't done their homework, but that's not all of us and not most of us, actually.
Covering royalty in the US is not a high priorty outside of entertainment purposes, but still, it's not difficult for reporters to check their facts for their stories. And should any reporters I know need facts for any royal stories, I'll point them in this direction.

My apologies. I should have said, too often it is true in the States, but you are right of course -- I should not paint everyone with the same brush, I know there are many good, conscientious news reporters in this country.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Is it officially Mountbatten-Windsor now? I thought it was optional for the royals to choose that name, but it was still officially Windsor.

The House name is Windsor.

For all descendents of Elizabeth II who require a surname it is Mountbatten-Windsor.

Wales/York is used as a surname because they are princes/princesses 'of Wales' or 'of York' but their real surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.

When Charles becomes King Harry will have to change his name in the army from Harry Wales to Harry xxxx - although he might already have changed it if he has his own title by then, just as I would expect William to cease using Wales from April next year when the Queen gives him his own title.

 

[KittyAtlanta]

Do they need passports? HM doesn't have one.

 

[wbenson]

Yes. Every member of the royal family except the Queen has a passport:

The Monarchy Today > Queen and public > Royal visits > Queen and passport

As a British passport is issued in the name of Her Majesty, it is unnecessary for The Queen to possess one. All other members of the Royal Family, including The Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales, have passports.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Wasn't there something recently about changing that law for security purposes so that the Queen will need to have one?

 

[wbenson]

Some people speculated about how she would be affected by the new regulations, but there was never any official announcement saying that she would need a passport. The head of the UK Border Agency even said that "For security reasons we will not be commenting on how e-Borders will affect Royal travel protocols. It should be clear, however, that the Head of State for the UK does not require a passport."

 

[yvr girl]

Passports are issued in her name, so her having one would seem to be unnessessary.

Royals don't sign their last name. On their marriage certificates, Charles and his siblings were listed with a surname, but they signed, Charles P, Anne, Andrew, Edward.

 

[MarleneKoenig]

The Queen created Philip a British prince because George VI forgot to do it when he created Philip HRH and Duke of Edinburgh. Philip was born HRH Prince of Greece - but he now had a British HRH.

But E2R did create her husband, by letters patent, a Prince of the United Kingdom after she became Queen.

In theory it's possible, but I doubt she'll do the same for Catherine.

Charles did not use Mountbatten-Windsor when he married. The name Mountbatten-Windsor appears as a part of the name on the marriage registry for the Queen's three other children - Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise Mountbatten Windsor. Ditto for Andrew and Edward. All three signed with their first names only because British royals sign with a surname.

I read somewhere when Charles married he signed Mountbatten Windsor as well...As did Andrew.

William uses only one name when signing -- William ... kate will probably use Catherine. She will not be using a surname. Unless the Queen gives William a dukedom on his wedding day, Catherine will become HRH Princess William of Wales. William and Harry have used Wales as a surname for indexing ... such as attending Eton .. William was listed under Wales, William ... but he would never sign William Wales ... Just William

That's not true.

I think, i'm correct in saying that William and Harry have the surname Windsor. So when Catherine marries William, her surname should change from Middleton to Windsor. In private, Catherine will be called Kate or Catherine which ever the family prefer.

William is known as William Wales in his army capacity, I have no idea how he signs his name etc, whether he uses Windsor or Wales.

But like I said I don't know why they are known as Wales rather than Windsor.

 

[MarleneKoenig]

The Queen is not going to revive Clarence as a dukedom considering the history of the previous titleholders. Moreover, there will not be a second dukedom ... if the Queen does create a dukedom (and remember, when Charles becomes king, William will automatically become Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay), the Dukedom will be in England, the earldom in Scotland and the barony in Northern Ireland ... but I am not convinced that there will be a peerage on April 29 -- George V was created Duke of York, but when his father died, he succeeded as Duke of Cornwall and was titled by both until he was created Prince of Wales. When he became king, the York dukedom returned to the crown. Because William will remain active in the military for several more years, it may be likely that he will not want to be encumbered with a dukedom ... and may remain HRH Prince William of Wales.

Now that I have seen the Victorian connection, I believe he will be made the Duke of Clarence, Duke of Avondale, Earl of Athlone. The last 2 Dukes of Clarence were William IV - the King from whom Queen Victoria received the throne, and Prince Albert Victor (aka Prince Eddy), who was also the last oldest son of a Prince of Wales to come into adulthood (thereby inheriting his title) while his father was still Prince of Wales. Harry would then become the Duke of Cambridge, Sussex, Connaught or Albany.

 

[MarleneKoenig]

First of all, only an act of Parliament can change the succession. Edward VIII could not abdicate without an act of Parliament. Moreover, when Charles succeeds, William wilbecome the duke of cornwall and the duke of rothesay - automatically ... Charles will create his son Prince of Wales because that is the main title for the heir apparent to the throne. Should Charles die before his mother, William will become the heir apparent, but not the duke of Cornwall - the queen could create him prince of wales and earl of chester.

I wonder whether all of this discussion about succession and skipping Prince Charles will cause the queen to NOT confer a title and leave that for Prince Charles to do at a later date.

That would make a statement IMO.

 

[MarleneKoenig]

This is not correct. It was when margaret made a fuss - and an earldom created -- otherwise, little david would have been Master David Armstrong-Jones.

My understanding is that QEII offered the title of Earl of Snowdon at the time of Armstrong-Jones' marriage to princess Margaret, but they declined ; only to have a change of heart when she became pregnant as the children of the marriage would have no title.

 

[MarleneKoenig]

Diana's titles before the marriage; HRH The Princess of Wales, also HRH Duchess of Cornwall, and in Scotland, HRH The Duchess of Rothesay ... after the divorce, following the style of divorced wives of Peers -- Diana, Princess of Wales ...

It doesn't seem like there would be any particular reason to depart from the usual title, though -- why change it to Princess Catherine? Isn't it also incorrect to refer to Diana as Princess Diana (as the media did all the time?) Wasn't her title (before divorce), HRH Diana, Princess of Wales? Or is "The" supposed to be in there?

The "The" is only for children of the soveriegn. HRH The Princess Anne. HRH The Prince Andrew, HRH The Prince edward ... all of which ceased to be official styles when they were created Princess Royal, Duke of York and Earl of Wessex. Michael's wife is HRH Princess Michael of Kent ... no The.

Unless William gets a Dukedom, she will take her husbands name and thus be HRH The Princess William of Wales. Much like the Prince Michael's wife is known as HRH The Princess Michael of Kent.

IF William gets a dukedom, she will follow Camilla and Sarah (and Katharine and Brigitte) and be HRH The Duchess of York (Cornwall, Kent and Gloucester).

In certain countries (i.e. the Netherlands), Maxima was made a Princess in her own right. I don't think that has ever happened in Britain.

Not exactly, at the time of the marriage of Prince Edward, there was a lot of criticism toward titles and so on -- the Queen was largely advised to not give Edward a dukedom ... although Edward and Sophie may have discussed the possibility of their children not being styled as royals - it was a decision that was advised by others.

No he doesn't.
IF HM gives William and dukedom, then Catherine will become a Duchess. But only then.

Edward is an Earl, because that's why he asked for.

 

[MarleneKoenig]

Camilla is HRH The Princess of Wales - but chose to be styled as HRH the Duchess of Cornwall because of the recenly deceased Diana. When Charles becomes king, William and Kate will become TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall until William is created Prince of Wales.

I do not believe Catherine will automatically be Duchess of Cornwall. Camilla chose to be known by that title in lieu of Princess of Wales upon her marriage to Charles. She could have picked any Duchess title of all the Duke titles Charles has. Consequently I do not believe the duchess of Cornwall automatically transfers to Catherine unless the Duke title has passed to Williams and that is the particular title they choose for her.

 

[AnnEliza]

Diana's titles before the marriage; HRH The Princess of Wales, also HRH Duchess of Cornwall, and in Scotland, HRH The Duchess of Rothesay ... after the divorce, following the style of divorced wives of Peers -- Diana, Princess of Wales ...


The "The" is only for children of the soveriegn. HRH The Princess Anne. HRH The Prince Andrew, HRH The Prince edward ... all of which ceased to be official styles when they were created Princess Royal, Duke of York and Earl of Wessex. Michael's wife is HRH Princess Michael of Kent ... no The.

Thanks for making that much clearer.

 

[Frideswide]

Diana's titles [-]before[/-] during the marriage; HRH The Princess of Wales, also HRH Duchess of Cornwall, and in Scotland, HRH The Duchess of Rothesay ... after the divorce, following the style of divorced wives of Peers -- Diana, Princess of Wales ...

Fixed that for you. Before her marriage, she was of course Lady Diana Spencer.

 

[branchg]

I agree Clarence is highly unlikely, but I do think William will be created an Earl on his wedding day. He is second in-line to the throne and will no doubt prefer Catherine have a style of her own, rather than being "HRH Princess William". A Dukedom is probably not in the cards at this time, given that he will continue to keep a relatively low profile and continue his military service.

In addition, given The Queen's excellent health and the fact her mother lived to be over 100, she could be on the throne another 15 years, which is a long time to wait to become The Duke of Cornwall. There is also the possibility Charles will not survive to become King or his reign would be brief due to his age. So, William may indeed be created a Duke by his grandmother on his wedding day, which is entirely within the will of The Sovereign.

 

[Mermaid1962]

This post makes a great deal of sense.

I do think William will be created an Earl on his wedding day. He is second in-line to the throne and will no doubt prefer Catherine have a style of her own, rather than being "HRH Princess William". A Dukedom is probably not in the cards at this time, given that he will continue to keep a relatively low profile and continue his military service.

 

[texankitcat]

u

I really don't think an earldom will be given to William, over a dukedom. I could see Harry being made an earl if he marries before the Queen's death. However, William is second in line to the throne and as such he should have a title that reflects that. I don't think his military service should have any bearing on his title since he is doing his duty for his country either way, and his low profile can only last so long.

The Queen is 84 years old. Although her mother lived to 100, that does not guarantee that she will as well. From all appearances there is a deep love and respect between the Queen and her husband and they have been true partners throughout her reign as Queen. Once he passes, no one can predict how that will affect her emotionally and physically. She is a strong woman, but there are limits even for her.

 

[AnnEliza]

I do think William will be created an Earl on his wedding day. He is second in-line to the throne and will no doubt prefer Catherine have a style of her own, rather than being "HRH Princess William". A Dukedom is probably not in the cards at this time, given that he will continue to keep a relatively low profile and continue his military service.

I don't know. I mean, if he is created a Duke, would that mean he has to have a higher profile, or couldn't continue his military service? It seems to me he could still do that, whether he's a Duke or an Earl.

The Queen is 84 years old. Although her mother lived to 100, that does not guarantee that she will as well. From all appearances there is a deep love and respect between the Queen and her husband and they have been true partners throughout her reign as Queen. Once he passes, no one can predict how that will affect her emotionally and physically. She is a strong woman, but there are limits even for her.

Yes, and sadly, Princess Margaret did not live as long as their mother. Although I hope the Queen has many more years, I would like to see Prince Charles eventually become king.

 

[texankitcat]

Yes, and sadly, Princess Margaret did not live as long as their mother. Although I hope the Queen has many more years, I would like to see Prince Charles eventually become king.

True, however Princess Margaret led a very different life than Queen Elizabeth. She was a heavy smoker and a heavy drinker to boot, which didn't help her longevity chances.

 

[branchg]

I think the question of whether William will be created a Duke or an Earl is one that he will discuss with The Queen and Palace advisors. It certainly makes sense for the second in-line to the throne to become a Duke upon marriage, but a different outcome is entirely possible.

 

[Royal Fan]

Ok so only his first son will be a Prince if it is born in the current reign? also what do you think of
Duke of Cambridge
Viscount Sussex
Baron Of Berkshire for HRH

Duke of Cambrige Baron of Berkshire Viscount Cardiff

 

[Iluvbertie]

I don't think William's second title will be Sussex.
If William gets Cambridge I could see Harry getting Sussex as a Dukedom.
I also think William's second title will be an earldom not a viscountcy.