What will Prince William's official name be when he's king?

6 February 2024, 14:58

Prince William is next in line to the throne following King Charles but what name will he go by?

King Charles's recent cancer diagnosis has caused lots of royal fans to look deeper into the line of succession and titles within the family - particularly for his son Prince William.

Due to be the next King of England, ahead of his son Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge is all set to take the crown when it's time with his wife Kate Middleton by his side as Queen Consort.

So what will Prince William be called when he's king? Well, as the monarch, he has the choice of a number of names to accompany his new king title.

Currently he holds the titles Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. He also has the title of Duke of Cambridge, but most commonly goes by Prince William.

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But that's all set to change when he moves up the rankings.

What will Prince William's official name be when he's king?

When the moment comes, William, aged 41, will have the final say on his monarch name.

However, if we were predicting the future, it seems very likely the father of three will go for King William V. After a long royal career, many experts on the family believe he will stick with William as that's what and who everyone has grown to love. Even overseas.

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His father King Charles remained true to his birth name, becoming Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II did too making it even more likely he will follow that tradition.

But of course, if he wanted to, he could choose a whole new regal name of choice just like King George VI did.

The Queen's father, who was king between 1936-52, reigned as King George VI but his real name was Arthur and his nickname, Bertie.

Some have suggested William may opt to use one of his many middle names as his title meaning he could choose Arthur, Philip, Louis, or George.

When Prince William becomes king, wife Kate will take on the Queen Consort title and be Queen Catherine.

Should Queen Camilla outlive Charles, she will become Queen Dowager - the official title for a king's widow.