Will Prince William Ever Be The Prince Of Wales?
The royal family do love their titles, with the Queen handing them out to every member of the family all the time. And sometimes, some confusion pops up on how they really work. For example, what is the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge placement in terms of entitlement to titles? What will happen when Charles, Prince of Wales finally becomes King, and Prince William the second in line for the throne?
At the moment, Prince Charles holds the title of Prince of Wales. It is a title that is usually held by the heir to the throne, as most heirs apparent in history have had this title. But this does not happen automatically, rather the title must be conferred by the sovereign upon the heir.
What will happen automatically is the moment Prince Charles becomes the King, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton will become Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess Of Cornwall’, or in conjunction with their current titles, ‘His Royal Highness Prince William, Duke Of Cornwall and Cambridge’ and ‘Her Royal Highness The Duchess Of Cornwall and Cambridge’.
The title of Duke of Cornwall is more important to Prince William, as with it comes the enormous estate holdings of the Duchy of Cornwall, which for centuries has supplied finance to the Monarch’s eldest son, while Prince of Wales is just a title.
It is entirely possible that the title of Prince of Wales will not be conferred upon Prince William, and if that happens he would simply remain as the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge. If he does get the title, he will become ‘HRH The Prince Of Wales’, with his wife Kate becoming ‘HRH The Princess Of Wales’.
But if we look at how things are going and how the Queen is still holding up, it is quite possible that the person to actually inherit the throne from Elizabeth will be Prince George.