Prince William and Kate Middleton are now officially the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The titles were announced by King Charles III, one day after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, but they had not been made official until now.
The announcement in The Gazette, the country’s official public record, said, “In accordance with the direction of HIS MAJESTY THE KING Letters Patent have passed the Great Seal of the Realm, dated the 13th February 2023 for creating His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cornwall Rothesay and Cambridge, Earl of Carrick and Strathearn, Baron of Renfrew, Baron Carrickfergus, K.G., K.T., Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, PRINCE OF WALES and EARL OF CHESTER.”
The Letters of Patent are, according to the Royal Collection Trust, “an open document from the Sovereign, which can be used to express the Sovereign’s will, for example to confer an office or create a new peerage.”
Prince William and Kate’s social media accounts were updated following the death of Queen Elizabeth II to reflect the official change.
Their original Instagram page, @dukeandduchessofcambridge is now private and directs users to their new page, @princessandprincessofwales. The couple’s Twitter page still bears the @kensingtonroyal username, but their names have been changed to The Prince and Princess of Wales.
The title Prince of Wales is not automatic and must be bestowed by the monarch. King Charles wasn’t formally declared Prince of Wales until he was 9, six years after Queen Elizabeth II took the throne.
Though the title was not official, they’ve been referred to as The Prince and Princess of Wales since Queen Elizabeth’s death.
They recently made their return to the BAFTA red carpet after missing the last two years. Fans even got a quick glimpse of PDA from the couple, as Kate gave Prince William a “love tap” on his backside.
Vogue shared the cute behind-the-scenes moment on its Instagram.
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Prince William and Kate also received some additional titles.
Since 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 the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, titles to be used when they are in Scotland, and the Earl and Countess of Chester.
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.
The couple received the Cambridge, Strathearn and Carrikfergus titles on their wedding day in 2011 from Queen Elizabeth II.
Their 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.
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