Prince William, and his new bride Kate Middleton received some very nice wedding presents from Queen Elizabeth II today. They each have been granted new titles. The history of those titles, and the details about how those particular titles get passed down, is rather interesting.
Prince William of Wales is now to be publicly known as His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge, the Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus. It is a custom that members of the Royal Family will be awarded a title when they marry.
These titles take precedence over the title of Prince. This is because the title of Prince, or the title of Princess, is automatically given to all sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters of the current monarch as soon as the child is born.
Catherine Middleton is now publicly known as Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge. She has also become the Countess of Strathearn and the Baroness of Carrickfergus. It is expected that the general public will call refer to Kate as The Princess of Wales, or as Princess Catherine, but this is not technically one of her titles. In order to officially have the title of Princess, she would have to have been born into the Royal Family.
The titles of The Earl of Strathearn and the Countess of Strathearn link William and Kate to Scotland. This is where the couple first met, and first fell in love. Strathearn means Valley of the River Earn. The title of The Earl of Strathearn was first given to Robert Stewart, High Steward of Scotland in 1357. The last person to hold the title of The Earl of Strathearn was Alastair Windsor in 1943. He was the great grandson of Queen Victoria, and was also known as the 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.
The titles of Duke or Earl can become extinct. This can happen if a Duke or Earl ascends to the throne, or if that person dies before producing a legitimate heir.
Prince William is now the tenth member of the Royal Family to be named Duke (or Earl, or Marquess), of Cambridge. The title of the Duke of Cambridge was first created sometime in the seventeenth century. The most recent people to hold this title were Prince Adolphus, (in 1801), followed by his son Prince George. So, the titles of Duke of Cambridge and Duchess of Cambridge link William and Kate to England.
The titles of Baron of Carrickfergus and Baroness of Carrickfergus link William and Kate to Ireland. Carrickfergus means Rock of Fergus. This is the biggest town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Prince William of Wales already has a title that links him to Wales.
Image by jpvargas on Flickr