Prior to becoming the Princess of Wales, Kate went by the title the Duchess of Cambridge – but it was originally intended for another member of the Royal Family
Princess Kate received a title that was previously earmarked for Duchess Sophie – until Prince Edward stepped in and made a surprising decision.
Before becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate were known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, titles awarded to them on their wedding day from Her Majesty the Queen. The couple still own the titles, but the Dukedom of Cambridge was actually originally supposed to be given to Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie, according to one Palace courtier.
When Edward and Sophie were married in 1999, they were named the new Earl and Countess of Wessex. Younger sons of the monarch have customarily been given dukedoms at the time of their marriage – such as Prince Andrew who is the Duke of York. And experts had expected the dukedom of Cambridge to be the most likely to be granted to Prince Edward
But, Edward instead had his heart set on becoming the Earl of Wessex – and it’s all because of a film.
A Buckingham Palace source told The Telegraph in 2010: “Prince Edward was going to be the Duke of Cambridge, but he watched the film Shakespeare in Love, which had a character called the Earl of Wessex. He liked the sound of it and asked the Queen if he could have that instead.”
Years later, Edward and Sophie changed their titles again and a few months after Charles’s ascension, they became the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. At the time of their wedding, Buckingham Palace had announced the intention that Edward would eventually be created Duke of Edinburgh, a title then held by his father, Prince Philip, once it had merged back into the Crown upon the death of both his parents.
On his 59th birthday, 10 March 2023, Edward was created Duke of Edinburgh by his older brother, King Charles, thus becoming “His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh”. His title is a life peerage and not hereditary, so it will revert to the crown on his death rather than pass down to the couple’s son, James, Earl of Wessex. Sophie and Edward are also parents to older sister, Lady Louise Windsor.
The Duke and Duchess opted not to use prince and princess titles for their two children even though they were the grandchildren of the monarch.
“We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living,” Sophie previously told the Times about their decision to not use “His/Her Royal Highness” titles for Louise and James. “Hence, we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely.”
The Duke of Edinburgh title was created in 1726 and first held by King George II’s eldest son, Prince Frederick. In 1764, it was given to Prince William, King George III’s brother. Queen Victoria re-introduced the title in 1866 for her second son, Prince Alfred. The title became dormant when he died in 1899 before King George VI conferred the dukedom on Prince Philip and then-Princess Elizabeth when they tied the knot in 1947.
