Prince William is gearing up to become King William, and when his title changes…everyone else will be leveling up too. Meaning: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and maaaaybe Prince Louis are in for a title switch-up.
There are rumors that King William will “park” his kids’ titles until they’re old enough to decide if they want to be working royals—but even if Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis pivot to just “George, Charlotte, and Louis,” they’ll still be inheriting a few new monikers once William becomes King. Here’s what we know:
Prince George
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When Prince William becomes King, his current title—The Prince of Wales—will technically “cease to exist.” At least until William decides to bestow it upon Prince George.
Timing is TBD, but it’s almost 100 percent certain that Prince George will be named Prince of Wales by his dad—a tradition going back to the 1300s. As for when it happens, King Charles waited just one day after Queen Elizabeth died to make William the Prince of Wales, and Charles got the title himself when he was just 10 years old. Sooooo, seems likely that George will step into the new role pretty immediately.
And speaking of titles, George is also poised to become the Duke of Cornwall as soon as King William takes the throne. Along with the title, George will get control of the Duchy of Cornwall and become hugely rich. Unclear if he’ll have access to the money if he’s under 18, but stay tuned!
Princess Charlotte
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Unlike Prince George, Princess Charlotte’s title wont change the second her dad becomes King. But she’ll eventually inherit the Princess Royal title, which is currently in use by Princess Anne.
The title—which has been around since 1642 when Charles I gave it to Princess Mary—is typically bestowed upon the eldest daughter of the sovereign. However, it’s held for life, meaning Princess Anne will be Princess Royal until she passes away.
Prince Louis
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Prince Louis likely won’t get a new title when Prince William becomes King William, which falls in line with the future monarch’s wishes for his kids. An insider previously told the Daily Beast “The working assumption is that the younger two children will get on and do their own thing. They will be encouraged to not become working royals.” They added that William and Kate have a “deliberate strategy to let Charlotte and Louis choose their own destiny.”
Currently, Prince Louis’ official title is “His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Wales,” and it was previously “His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.” Once William becomes King and stops being the Prince of Wales, Louis’ official title will change once again—but it’s unclear how.
If we look to Prince Edward as an example, he went by “His Royal Highness The Prince Edward” before getting his eventual dukedom, so Louis could be looking at “His Royal Highness The Prince Louis” as an option once William is king. We’ll see!
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