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Kate Middleton Is New Princess of Wales, Following in Late Mother-in-Law Princess Diana’s Footsteps
Kate Middleton is the new Princess of Wales, becoming the first person to hold the title since her husband Prince William‘s mother, the late Princess Diana. King Charles III made the announcement that William and Kate would be elevated to Prince and Princess of Wales in an address to the people of Great Britain on Friday, September 9, as William will take on the title previously held by his dad. The pronouncement comes one day after Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday, September 8.
“As my heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles which have meant so much to me,” King Charles told viewers in a nationally televised speech. “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 center ground where vital help can be given,” he added. The couple took over Charles and wife Camilla‘s titles of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall upon Charles becoming king immediately after his mother’s death.
There has not been a Princess of Wales since Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in July 1981. As Charles was the Prince of Wales, Diana took on the title immediately after their wedding. The couple divorced in 1996, and Diana was stripped of the style Her Royal Highness, though she retained the title of Diana, Princess of Wales, until her death in a Paris car crash in 1997.
When Charles married Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2005, she became the Duchess of Cornwall, but not the Princess of Wales. She is now officially the Queen Consort, as the new monarch told viewers, “I count on the loving help of my darling wife, Camilla. In recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage 17 years ago, she becomes my Queen Consort.”
There are no title changes for King Charles’ second son Prince Harry, whom the new monarch has been estranged from for several years after he and wife Meghan Markle quit as senior royals in 2020 for a life in the U.S. where they could make their own financial destiny. He did mention the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in his address, offering, “I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.”
