Kate Middleton, Prince William Receive Cambridge Title After This Royal Snubbed It

Kate Middleton and Prince William only received their Cambridge title after this royal snubbed it.

Prince William and Middleton were popularly known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. However, according to Express, the dukedom was originally meant for Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest son. Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones was supposed to take on the title when they got married in 1999. However, Prince Edward reportedly declined and opted to be named Lord Wessex.

“He liked the sound of it and asked the Queen if he could have that instead,” a royal insider told The Telegraph in 2010.

Queen Elizabeth II did not disappoint his son because she obliged and granted Prince Edward and his wife Sophie the titles Earl and Countess of Wessex. Prince Edward could not be Duke of Wessex because there is no such dukedom or even a region known as Wessex in the U.K.

Wessex is one of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. It covers areas of the U.K. that include modern-day Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire. It also includes the city of Winchester, which was the English capital for a time.

Although Prince Edward does not have a royal duke title like his older brothers Prince Charles and Prince Edward, he is expected to have one in the future. According to reports, Prince Edward will be given the dukedom of Edinburgh when their father Prince Philip dies.

Since Prince Edward snubbed the Duke of Cambridge title, it was given to Prince William when he married Middleton in 2011. The couple will have a new title when Prince Charles becomes the new king.

When Prince Charles reigns, Prince William and Middleton will be the new Prince and Princess of Wales. Camilla Parker Bowles is entitled to the same title as Princess of Wales because she is the Prince of Wales’ wife. However, the Duchess of Cornwall did not take the title because she was once his mistress. Also, the title is still strongly associated with Princess Diana.

Meanwhile, some felt that Middleton might also not opt to use the Princess of Wales title. “It’s therefore not clear as to whether Kate would choose to become known as Princess of Wales, as this may cause confusion between herself and her late mother-in-law,” Jess Sheldon wrote.