As the first in line to the throne, Prince William will become king when King Charles dies, and Kate Middleton will become queen. Each time the line of succession changes, so do almost all the royal titles.
For example, William and Kate were formerly known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (titles they still hold), but are now more commonly known as the Prince and Princess of Wales. Kate is the first person to receive the Princess of Wales title since her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
Having met at St Andrews University in 2001, the pair started dating in 2003 and, apart from a brief break up in 2007, they have been together ever since. Given that Kate Middleton has been part of the royal family since she married Prince William in 2011, and has been on the scene for more than 20 years, she has had her fair share of titles. But how will her role change when King Charles dies?
Here's everything you need to know about what will happen to the Princess of Wales when her father-in-law dies.
What will happen when King Charles dies?
When King Charles dies, Prince William will immediately become king, but he will not be coronated until a later date. King Charles will then receive a state funeral after a period of lying in state, much like that of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The funeral will be attended by heads of state from around the world and all members of the royal family, with senior royals such as his son William, his siblings Princess Anne and Prince Edward and his wife Queen Camilla taking a central role. His son Prince Harry and his brother Prince Andrew, who are no longer working royals, are also expected to play key roles.
Given that Camilla Parker Bowles is the Queen Consort, meaning she is the wife of the reigning monarch, she will lose her title as queen when her husband dies. She will henceforth be known as Queen Dowager, the title given to the widows of kings. The last time this title was used was by Queen Adelaide when she was widowed by her husband, King William IV, in 1837_._ Adelaide was queen dowager until her death in 1849.
If Camilla were Prince William's birth mother, she would also have the option of being called the King Mother, though of course she is not.
It therefore means Kate Middleton's title when William is king will be queen, or rather 'Queen Catherine'. The couple's three children will remain Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, with George becoming first in line to the throne.
What will Kate Middleton's new role as Queen look like?
It's been a difficult year for Kate Middleton, having announced that she was being treated for cancer in March. She took time off from her royal duties as she underwent the cancer treatment, and made her first return to public life at Trooping the Colour in June. Later, she attended the Wimbledon Championships.
However, royal experts suggest she is still looking ahead to the future and preparing for her role as queen.
BBC correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! that the princess is aware of the mammoth role ahead of her. She said, 'I think you have to be quite tough to survive—and thrive—in the royal family. It must be easy to be rather intimidated by the hierarchical system of the palace.
'But Catherine has the advantage of knowing that she will one day be the most senior woman in the family, and indeed in the land. And so she has a right to make her views known about how the institution of monarchy is going to proceed in the years and decades to come.'
She also suggested that Kate will draw inspiration from her mother-in-law Queen Camilla adding, 'I think Queen Camilla and Catherine have drawn strength and inspiration from one another: two women in this extraordinary situation in life, both with the same bizarre destiny.'
As for how Kate will take to her role as queen, she has had more practice than anyone else in modern history. Queen Elizabeth II was sworn in as monarch when she was 25 years old, and it was only confirmed that Queen Camilla would take on the role of queen after Queen Elizabeth in February 2022, during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
Kate, on the other hand, has been in a relationship with the second (and now first) heir since 2003. From what we've seen of her as a working royal, it's likely that she will continue her work in the early years sector, as well as championing mental health. She is also famously athletic and is likely to continue encouraging young people to get into sports.
What royal titles has she held until now?
As things currently stand, Kate Middleton is officially the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall. Given that she was not born into the royal family, her first name is supposed to precede her title i.e. Catherine, Princess of Wales.
When Camilla became queen, Kate inherited the title of Duchess of Cornwall. As with Wales, the Cornwall title is a courtesy title in direct line for the rank of king and queen.
She also holds regional princess titles in Scotland, including Duchess of Rothesay and Countess of Cheste, both of which were inherited from Camilla and are exclusively linked to the heir apparent to the throne. Before she became a princess, Kate was known as the Countess of Strathearn and still holds that title as well.
Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, Kate's regional titles are Countess of Carrick and Baroness of Renfrew.
As for her military titles, Kate is the Colonel of the Irish Guards, which is why she attended Trooping the Colour this year despite taking time off for her cancer treatment. The princess is the first woman and second-ever royal behind William to assume the honorary military role.
She is also Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm, Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards, Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the R.A.F. Coningsby and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the Air Cadets.
Kate is also Patron of Rugby, also known as the royal patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football Leagu, which is a position formerly held by Prince Harry prior to his 2020 resignation from senior royal duties in February 2022. And she is Sponsor of HMS Glasgow.