The world knows them as Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Prince and Princess of Wales. But did you know that in Scotland, they are called by entirely different names? Let me explain.
During Royal Week in Scotland, Prince William joined King Charles, Queen Camilla and his uncle, Prince Edward, at St. Giles’s Cathedral in Edinburgh for the Order of the Thistle service held on July 3.
Though the future king, 42, normally goes by the Prince of Wales, Prince William and his wife, Princess Catherine, 42, are called the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay whenever they visit Scotland.
According to People, dating back to 1469, the Duke of Rothesay is a traditional royal title that is often given to the male heir to the Scottish throne and the wife of the heir becomes the Duchess of Rothesay.
In September 2022, King Charles named his oldest son as the new Duke of Rothesay as well as the new Prince of Wales in his first televised speech following the passing of his mom, Queen Elizabeth II. “Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales,” the newly crowned monarch said at the time. “With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations.”
King Charles bestowed another moniker upon the royal couple: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall. You see, the “Duchess of Cornwall” title was previously held by King Charles’s wife, Queen Camilla. Before Queen Elizabeth’s passing, Charles was also known as the Prince of Wales—the royal title he was given by the queen after tying the knot with his late ex-wife, Princess Diana, in 1981.
All hail the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.
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