Kate Middleton and Prince William Go by Different Names in Scotland — Here's Why

07/03/2024 10:31 AM

Prince William is marking Royal Week in Scotland, where he isn't known as the Prince of Wales

Kate Middleton and Prince William aren't known as the Prince and Princess of Wales when they travel north to Scotland.

The heir to the throne joined King Charles and Queen Camilla at St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on July 3 for the Order of the Thistle service during Royal Week in Scotland. Instead of going by his title as the Prince of Wales, William went by another name for the day.

That's because Prince William and Princess Kate, both 42, are known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland. The Duke of Rothesay has been the traditional title for the male heir to the Scottish throne since 1469, making his wife the Duchess of Rothesay.

King Charles announced that he conferred the Rothesay dukedom onto William in his first speech as monarch on Sept. 9, 2022, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, the day prior.

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"As my heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles which have meant so much to me," the King, 75, said in his first address to the United Kingdom.

In addition, Prince William succeded his father as the Duke of Cornwall, taking on the responsibilities for the Duchy of Cornwall. William and Kate briefly changed their names on social media to the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, other titles traditionally held by the traditional eldest son of the reigning British monarch, following the death of Queen Elizabeth.

King Charles also made his eldest son the Prince of Wales, the traditional title for the male heir apparent to the English throne since around 1301. The monarch previously held the title for over six decades, saying in his speech, "the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty."

Prince William's late mother, Princess Diana, became the Princess of Wales following her marriage to then-Prince Charles in 1981. She died at age 36 in 1997 following a car accident in Paris, and the future Queen Camilla opted not to use the Princess of Wales title when she married the future King Charles in 2005, instead going by the Duchess of Cornwall.

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While Prince William is now most widely known as the Prince of Wales, he received even more titles in the same sweep. The royal also became the Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland as the eldest son of the sovereign, Scotland Magazinereported.

Queen Elizabeth gave William and Kate the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their April 2011 wedding day, and they went primarily by those titles for over a decade. Prince William was also named the Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus, giving Kate the correlating titles. While they kept those titles, they now use their higher-ranking ones.

When William and Kate took on their new titles, a royal source told PEOPLE the couple was focused on "deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time."

"The Prince and Princess of Wales will approach their roles in the modest and humble way they've approached their work previously," the source said. Prince William did not have a formal investiture ceremony to commemorate his becoming the Prince of Wales as his father did in 1969.

As Kate took on the title of Princess of Wales, a royal source told PEOPLE "the new Princess of Wales appreciates the history associated with this role but will understandably want to look to the future as she creates her own path."

Princess Kate did not attend the Thistle Service at St. Giles' Cathedral in Scotland on July 3, where Queen Camilla and Prince Edward were installed into the country's highest order of chivalry. The Princess of Wales continues to privately prioritize her health while receiving cancer treatment, and palace aides emphasized that her appearance at Trooping the Colour in London on June 15 did not signal a return to public life.

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In the first health update since publicly revealing her cancer diagnosis in March, the royal mom shared her "hope" to join "a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet."

No date has been set for when she will fully return to royal work.

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