The Prince of Wales has a string of titles, as his recent
appearance on Travis Kelce’s podcast reminded us all, and the read
out of names by the most famous bridegroom of the year put one of
the lesser known ones in the spotlight.
The heir to the throne has a whole host of titles – and actually
holds more than his father did when he was first in line. However,
Prince William actually has a different title in a city that
straddles England and Wales. For there, he is known as the Earl of
Chester.
Dating back to 1301, the Prince of Wales is also granted the
title of Earl of Chester. While the titles have not merged, they
have both been given to the heir apparent of the English throne
since the late fourteenth century.
The Earldom of Chester was first created in 1067. It was first
held by Gerbod the Fleming from 1067 to 1070. It was then recreated
in 1071 for Hugh D’Avranches, and recreated again in 1254 and
1264.
It was in 1301 that it was recreated for Edward of Caernarvon
who would go on to become King Edward II in 1307.
In 1312, Edward Plantagenet, the future King Edward III, was
made Earl of Chester. Going forward, all Princes of Wales have been
also made Earl of Chester.
King Charles III announced that his son, Prince William, would
be Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 9 September 2022.
Since then, William has been Earl of Chester which means that
his wife, Kate, is also the Countess of Chester.
It was reported that, during her marriage to the now King
Charles, Diana was particularly fond of being known as Countess of
Chester.
However, Prince George can’t inherit this title directly from
his father. It will return to the Crown and it will be up to the
next Monarch to decide whether he wants to create his heir as Earl
of Chester.
William, as heir to the throne, has a wide range of titles
reflecting the history of the Crown. As soon as he became heir to
the throne, on September 8 2022, he automatically took the title of
Duke of Cornwall, an honour that has been given to the heir to the
English throne for centuries.
That evening, William and Kate changed their social media title
to the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and of Cambridge.
However, William actually held a third dukedom by then. The heir
to the Scottish throne has long been known as Duke of Rothesay and
the Prince took that title, too, when he became first in line.
William and Kate also remain Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the
titles by which they were known for 11 years after their marriage
in April 2011.
Queen Elizabeth II made William the Duke of Cambridge on his
wedding day, April 29 2011. He also became Earl of Strathearn and
Baron Carrickfergus meaning Kate is also Countess of Strathearn and
Baroness Carrickfergus.
William’s other titles are Prince of Wales, Earl of Carrick,
Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of
Scotland. He is also a member of the Order of the Garter, the Order
of the Thistle and the Order of the Bath.
He is now generally known as the Prince of Wales although in
Scotland, his title as heir to the throne is used, and be becomes
the Duke of Rothesay.
