Prince William Named Prince of Wales

[Duc_et_Pair]

Crown Office
In accordance with the direction of HIS MAJESTY THE KING Letters Patent have passed the Great Seal of the Realm, dated the 13th February 2023 for creating His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cornwall Rothesay and Cambridge, Earl of Carrick and Strathearn, Baron of Renfrew, Baron Carrickfergus, K.G., K.T., Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, PRINCE OF WALES and EARL OF CHESTER

There is sloppiness in this article: they forgot The Prince William and I also missed a comma: Duke of Cornwall, Rothesay and Cambridge instead of Duke of Cornwall Rothesay and Cambridge.

 

[muriel]

Charles has more on his plate than creating WIll POW.

William was created Prince of Wales on the day after QE2 passed away, as announced by the King. This is merely documenting it.

 

[wbenson]

There is sloppiness in this article: they forgot The Prince William and I also missed a comma: Duke of Cornwall, Rothesay and Cambridge instead of Duke of Cornwall Rothesay and Cambridge.

I don't think the "The" has ever been used in letters patent (for whatever purpose) or their gazette notices.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

There is sloppiness in this article: they forgot The Prince William and I also missed a comma: Duke of Cornwall, Rothesay and Cambridge instead of Duke of Cornwall Rothesay and Cambridge.

In The Queen & Her Court Jerrold M. Packard writes:
Another fine point in dealing with royal titles concerns the use of the article "the." A prince or princess who is a child of the monarch ("Prince or Princess of the Blood Royal") rates its use in their formal title. Thus, "The Prince Andrew" or "The Princess Anne."

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Of course, William has been Prince of Wales since The King announced it on Sept. 9 (or even since The King decided it in His own mind) and these Letters Patent are just a public expression of The King's will.

Regarding the "of course": There has been debate in other discussions (mainly those surrounding the Wessex and Sussex children's styles) as to whether letters patent hold more legal force than other methods of communicating the King's will in regards to the titles of the royal family. As someone pointed out in another thread, the fact that the King chose to begin using the style Prince of Wales for his son after the televised announcement without waiting until letters patent were issued might suggest that he believes one method is as good as another.

If this is too off-topic, I will be happy to move this post to another thread.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

In The Queen & Her Court Jerrold M. Packard writes:
Another fine point in dealing with royal titles concerns the use of the article "the." A prince or princess who is a child of the monarch ("Prince or Princess of the Blood Royal") rates its use in their formal title. Thus, "The Prince Andrew" or "The Princess Anne."

That has only been true since the reign of Elizabeth II. Prior to that, the "the" was used for other princes and princesses as well.

For example, see the creation of Princess Sophia Matilda, daughter of Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester, in 1816: https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/prince_highness_docs.htm#1816_1

George the third etc. To all to whom these Presents shall come Greeting: Our Will and Pleasure is and We do hereby declare and ordain that from and after the date of this Our Warrant, Our Dear Niece The Princess Sophia Matilda daughter of our late Brother, His Royal Higness William Henry Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh Earl of Connaught etc shall be styled, entitled and called, "Her Royal Highness" in addition to and before all other styles, titles, and appellation which to Her now do, or at any time hereafter may belong or appertain, in all Deeds, Records, Instruments or Documents whatsoever, wherein she may at any time hereafter be named or described, and we do hereby authorize and empower Our said Dear Niece, henceforth at all time to assume and have, and to be called and and named by the Style Title and Appellation of "Her Royal Highness" accordingly.

 

[Duke of Leaside]

Regarding the "of course": There has been debate in other discussions (mainly those surrounding the Wessex and Sussex children's styles) as to whether letters patent hold more legal force than other methods of communicating the King's will in regards to the titles of the royal family. As someone pointed out in another thread, the fact that the King chose to begin using the style Prince of Wales for his son after the televised announcement without waiting until letters patent were issued might suggest that he believes one method is as good as another.

If this is too off-topic, I will be happy to move this post to another thread.

Fair enough. But keep in mind that His present Majesty isn't the first who it could be suggested believes one method is as good as another. Both the Duke of Cambridge (now Prince of Wales) and the present Duke of Sussex were referred to by their titles starting immediately on the mornings of their weddings, but the letters patent weren't dated until some weeks/months later and then gazetted a few days after that.

Also, the former King Edward VIII was known as The Duke of Windsor (as per his brother King George VI's wishes) from December 12, 1936 onwards. This was announced (verbally, like King Charles created the P of W) by King George VI in (at the end of) His Majesty's Declaration to the Accession Council on Dec. 12, 1936 (the day after he became King):
"...My first act on succeeding My Brother will be to confer on Him a Dukedom and He will henceforth be known as His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor".

The Letters Patent for the creation of the former King as Duke of Windsor were not dated until March 8, 1937 and have never (to my knowledge) been publicly released and curiously were not gazetted either. I would love to someday read those letters patent! I assume there were no subsidiary titles but I've always wondered if the usual remainder was omitted as well. This would presumably be to ensure the Dukedom would become extinct upon the Duke's death and not be inherited by any future descendants (although as it turned out there were none).

 

[Duke of Leaside]

There is sloppiness in this article: they forgot The Prince William and I also missed a comma: Duke of Cornwall, Rothesay and Cambridge instead of Duke of Cornwall Rothesay and Cambridge.

Yes, sloppy is a good description. As others have noted, the "The" is often omitted in these announcements but the comma is just plain sloppy in my opinion.

I also think the K.G., K.T. should come at the end of all his titles. A while ago I put together I draught announcement for my own amusement and I based it on the wording of the 1901 announcement when King Edward VII created the future King George V Prince of Wales. I chose this template because it was a close recent example of a new heir already having a Dukedom.

For whatever it's worth, my announcement read as follows:

HIS MAJESTY THE KING has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the Realm bearing date the 9th day of September, 2022, for creating His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge (Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Strathearn, Baron of Renfrew and Carrickfergus, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland), K.G., K.T., PRINCE OF WALES and EARL OF CHESTER.

? Of course it's moot now.

 

[Stefan]

Fair enough. But keep in mind that His present Majesty isn't the first who it could be suggested believes one method is as good as another. Both the Duke of Cambridge (now Prince of Wales) and the present Duke of Sussex were referred to by their titles starting immediately on the mornings of their weddings, but the letters patent weren't dated until some weeks/months later and then gazetted a few days after that.

Probably it was the same for the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex.

 

[Duke of Leaside]

Probably it was the same for the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex.

Actually it wasn't. Both had their letters patent dated the day of their weddings and in The Duke of York's case a special supplement to the Gazette was released on the same day as well. So Prince Andrew was created Duke of York, the letters patent passed under the Great Seal of the Realm and they were gazetted all on the day of his wedding when the title was first announced!

Titles for the Earl of Wessex were gazetted 9 days after the letters patent passed under the Great Seal of the Realm on the day of his wedding.

 

[Stefan]

Actually it wasn't. Both had their letters patent dated the day of their weddings and in The Duke of York's case a special supplement to the Gazette was released on the same day as well. So Prince Andrew was created Duke of York, the letters patent passed under the Great Seal of the Realm and they were gazetted all on the day of his wedding when the title was first announced!

Titles for the Earl of Wessex were gazetted 9 days after the letters patent passed under the Great Seal of the Realm on the day of his wedding.

So why was it done different for the Cambridge and Sussex creations. Strange.

 

[Mbruno]

Since William was "created" Prince of Wales in September 2022, I wonder why it took until February 2023 for the corresponding Letters Patent to be issued.

The LP notice in the London Gazette further clarified that Prince William has
been also created Earl of Chester. There was some confusion as to whether he was Earl of Chester or not as that title had not been mentioned by the King in his televised address following his mother's passing. As you may recall, at the time, the King only said that he was creating William "Prince of Wales" and that William would also assume the Scottish titles which the King had held prior to his accession to the throne.

 

[Duke of Leaside]

...
The LP notice in the London Gazette further clarified that Prince William has
been also created Earl of Chester. There was some confusion as to whether he was Earl of Chester or not as that title had not been mentioned by the King in his televised address following his mother's passing. As you may recall, at the time, the King only said that he was creating William "Prince of Wales" and that William would also assume the Scottish titles which the King had held prior to his accession to the throne.

Yes, it was good to see the Earl of Chester title clarified, as I mentioned in my first post today in this thread - (nothing irregular etc.)

Of course there was one Scottish title which The King held prior to his accession to the throne which William did NOT assume - Duke of Edinburgh!
? But I know what you (and His Majesty) meant.

 

[Heavs]

Since William was "created" Prince of Wales in September 2022, I wonder why it took until February 2023 for the corresponding Letters Patent to be issued.

The LP notice in the London Gazette further clarified that Prince William has
been also created Earl of Chester. There was some confusion as to whether he was Earl of Chester or not as that title had not been mentioned by the King in his televised address following his mother's passing. As you may recall, at the time, the King only said that he was creating William "Prince of Wales" and that William would also assume the Scottish titles which the King had held prior to his accession to the throne.

Well, as previously discussed it seems that Charles believes that "Sovereign's Will" is the main part of the process and the bureaucracy can be finalised at a later date? I don't think many were disputing that William was also Earl of Chester et al, I really don't know if that title has always been legally automatic with the POW, there was no way William *wasn't* going to be that after becoming POW. Charles wasn't going to leave off a few bits and as we now see is firming things up on paper as it were but it hasn't been a rush to get it out because so very few dispute it.

 

[Skippy]

For those who are bothered by the sloppiness in the Gazette publication:
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/customer-charter - Customer care for complaints, comments and compliments.

I am happy that William is now also "officially" Prince of Wales.

 

[wbenson]

The warrant signed by the King directing that the letters patent be issued.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I wonder if William is the first Duke of Cambridge to also be Prince of Wales?

 

[wbenson]

He's the second. George II held both titles before his accession.

 

[An Ard Ri]

He's the second. George II held both titles before his accession.

Yes thanks I was thinking there was one before him