King Charles Is Reportedly Saving This Royal Title for Princess Charlotte
Updated: Mar. 15, 2023
Rumor has it that the title was originally supposed to go to another member of the royal family.
In the months since Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, lots of duties and protocols have shifted in the royal family—including royal titles.
Prince Charles is now King Charles III, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla is now Queen Consort Camilla and Prince William and Kate are now the Prince and Princess of Wales. Even the youngest royals have received title upgrades. Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are now all princes and princess of Wales.
Amongst all the shuffling around of royal titles, King Charles reportedly has a particularly special royal title saved for his seven-year-old granddaughter. And, it’s a title that happens to have a unique history.
What is the title?
The title of The Duchess of Edinburgh could soon be Princess Charlotte’s new royal title. According to a royal source, “discussions are underway, but the favored outcome for the King is that this title ought to go to Princess Charlotte.”
What is the history of the title?
The new title is not solely a royal upgrade. Princess Charlotte’s impending title also honors her late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. Before ascending the throne in 1952, the Duchess of Edinburgh title belonged to the Queen. The Queen first acquired the title in 1947 after marrying Prince Philip, who was given the title of the Duke of Edinburgh.
“It would be a fitting way to remember the Queen—who, of course, had the title Duchess of Edinburgh—and a way for His Majesty to honor the line of succession,” a royal source commented.
What is the historical significance of Princess Charlotte receiving the title?
Like her great-grandmother, the designation of the title would highlight women of the monarchy breaking down gender barriers. Thanks to the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013, birth order now determines the line of succession to the throne. Previously, gender determined succession order.
“Charlotte’s position is historically significant because she is the first female member of the royal family whose place in the line of succession will not be surpassed by her younger brother,” a royal source confirms.
“It is constitutionally significant that Charlotte should be given such a corresponding title,” the source continued, “because it is not beyond the realms of possibility that she will accede the throne if, for example, Prince George does not have children.”
Is Prince Edward still in the running for the title?
After Prince Philip’s passing, Prince Edward—King Charles’s brother and the Queen’s youngest son—was expected to adopt the title of the Duke of Edinburgh.
In 1999, after Prince Edward and Sophie’s wedding, Buckingham Palace stated that: “The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have also agreed that Prince Edward should be given the dukedom of Edinburgh in due course, when the present title held now by Prince Philip eventually reverts to the crown.” However, the King may have changed course for a particular reason.
Why is Princess Charlotte expected to get the royal title over Prince Edward?
As The Crown, Season 5 highlights, King Charles has always had ideas about how he imagined the monarchy could evolve. The alleged title change “shows you what the King is thinking,” a royal source states. “It’s about promoting those directly in line to the throne rather than those on the edges,” in the King’s attempts to modernize and slim down the monarchy.
