Prince William and Kate Middleton are now officially the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The titles were announced by King Charles III the day after Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September, but they had not yet been made official.
The announcement in The Gazette, the country’s official public directory, reads: “In accordance with the direction of HIS MAJESTY THE KING, the patent letters have the Great Seal of the Empire dated February 13, 2023 for the creation of His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip grants Louis, Duke of Cornwall Rothesay and Cambridge, Earl of Carrick and Strathearn, Baron of Renfrew, Baron Carrickfergus, KG, KT, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, PRINCE OF WALES and EARL OF CHESTER.”
The patent letters are, according to the Royal Collection Trust, “an open document of the sovereign which may be used to express the will of the sovereign, for example to confer office or create a new peerage”.
It was a family affair at Sandringham Church for a Christmas morning service. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
KATE MIDDLETON VS PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE HEAVY WITH CRITICAL NEW SETTINGS
Prince William and Kate’s social media accounts have been updated following the death of Queen Elizabeth II to reflect the official change.
Her original Instagram page @dukeandduchessofcambridge is now private and redirects users to her new page @princessandprincessofwales. The couple’s Twitter page still goes by the username @kensingtonroyal, but their names have been changed to The Prince and Princess of Wales.
The title of Prince of Wales is not automatic and must be bestowed by the monarch. King Charles was only officially proclaimed Prince of Wales at the age of 9, six years after Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne.
Although the title was not official, they have been referred to as The Prince and Princess of Wales since Queen Elizabeth’s death.
They recently returned to the BAFTA red carpet after missing the last two years. Fans even got a glimpse of the couple’s PDA as Kate gave Prince William a “love tap” on his bum.
Kate Middleton’s “Love Tap” to husband Prince William marked a new era in PDA for the couple. (Chris Jackson)
Vogue shared the sweet behind-the-scenes moment on their Instagram.
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Prince William and Kate also received some additional titles.
As William is the eldest son of the reigning British monarch, William and Kate are now the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, a title previously held by Charles and Camilla. They also became Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, titles used when in Scotland, and Earl and Countess of Chester.
Prince William and Kate Middleton waved to fans outside the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Prince William, 40, and Kate, 41, will retain their titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as Earl and Countess of Strathearn and Baron and Baroness of Carrickfergus. The latter two titles are used less frequently.
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On their wedding anniversary in 2011, the couple received the Cambridge, Strathearn and Carrikfergus titles from Queen Elizabeth II.
Her children – George, Charlotte and Louis – also received an update to their titles. They are now Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales.