List of titles and honours of Catherine, Princess of Wales

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Catherine in 2023 Princess of Wales in 2023 (cropped)03.JPG
Catherine in 2023

Catherine, Princess of Wales has received several titles, decorations and honorary appointments both during her time as Duchess of Cambridge and Princess of Wales. Each is listed below.

Contents

Royal and noble titles and styles

Upon her marriage in 2011, Catherine became a British princess by virtue of marriage and gained the style of Royal Highness. She also gained the titles of Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn and Baroness Carrickfergus. [1] She was normally styled as "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge" except in Scotland, where she was instead styled "Her Royal Highness The Countess of Strathearn". [2]

Upon her father-in-law's accession to the throne on 8 September 2022, Catherine also became Duchess of Cornwall as well as Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Carrick, Baroness of Renfrew, and Lady of the Isles (all in Scotland). [3] [4] [5] She was thus briefly called "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge". [6] On 9 September 2022, the King announced the appointment of William as Prince of Wales, with Catherine thus becoming Princess of Wales. [4] As the wife of the Earl of Chester, she also bears the title Countess of Chester. [5] Catherine is known as "Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales", except in Scotland, where she is styled "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Rothesay". [7]

Honours and decorations

Commonwealth realms

Orders (shown in order in which appointments were made, not order of precedence)

CountryDateAppointmentRibbonPost-nominal
letters
Flag of Tuvalu.svg Tuvalu30 October 2017Recipient of the Tuvalu Order of Merit [8] TUV Tuvalu Order of Merit BAR.svg
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom5 December 2017Recipient of the Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II [9] [10] GBR Family Order Elizabeth II BAR.png
29 April 2019Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order [11] UK Royal Victorian Order ribbon.svg GCVO
23 April 2024Royal Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honour [12] Order of the Companions of Honour Ribbon.gif CH
8 July 2025Recipient of the Royal Family Order of Charles III [13] Royal Family Order of King Charles III ribbon bar.svg

Decorations and medals (shown in order in which appointments were made, not order of precedence)

CountryDateDecorationRibbonPost-nominal
letters
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom6 February 2012Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal [14] QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg
6 February 2022Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal UK Queen EII Platinum Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg
6 May 2023Recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal Coronation of Charles III Medal ribbon.png

Foreign honours

CountryDateAppointmentRibbonPost-nominal
letters
Flag of France.svg France8 July 2025Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit [15] Ordre national du Merite GO ribbon.svg

Honorary military appointments

Catherine meeting the ship's company of HMS Glasgow at Windsor Castle, September 2022 Princess of Wales meets HMS Glasgow company III.jpg
Catherine meeting the ship's company of HMS Glasgow at Windsor Castle, September 2022
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom

Other appointments

University degrees

CountryDateUniversityDegree
Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland23 June 2005 University of St Andrews Master of Arts (Hons) [23]

Honorific eponyms

Arms

Coat of arms of Catherine, Princess of Wales
Coat of arms of Catherine, Princess of Wales.svg
Notes
Catherine bears the arms of her husband impaled with those of her father. The family arms were granted to her father by the College of Arms on 19 April 2011. Thomas Woodcock, then Garter King of Arms, the senior officer of the College of Arms, helped the family with the design. [30] Meanwhile, the princess's entire heraldic achievement was approved by royal warrant by Queen Elizabeth II after the princess's marriage. The newly-approved arms included the addition of a new element specifically for the princess: a hind (female deer) supporter. [31]
Coronet
Coronet of the heir apparent
Escutcheon
Quarterly first and fourth Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or armed and langed Azure second Or a lion rampant Gules armed and langued Azure within a double tressure flory counterflory third Azure a harp Or stringed Argent, with over all a label of three points Argent, and on an inescutcheon ensigned by the coronet of the heir-apparent, quarterly, Or and Gules four lions passant guardant counterchanged, ensigned by the coronet of William's degree; [32] Impaled with a shield per pale Azure and Gules, a chevron Or, cotised Argent, between three acorns slipped and leaved Or. [30]
Supporters
To the dexter the Lion as borne and used as a Supporter by the Prince of Wales and to the sinister a Hind Argent unguled and gorged with the coronet of the heir apparent Or. The hind is white (argent) and is hooved, unguled and has about its neck (is gorged with) the Prince of Wales's coronet. Both the hooves and coronet are gold (Or). [31]
Orders
The Royal Victorian Order circlet.
VICTORIA
Other elements
Insignia of GCVO appended
Symbolism
The dividing line (between two colours) down the centre is a canting of the name 'Middle-ton'. The acorns (from the oak tree) are a traditional symbol of England and a feature of west Berkshire, where the family lived. The three acorns also denote the family's three children. The gold chevron in the centre of the arms is an allusion to Carole Middleton's maiden name of Goldsmith. The two white chevronels (narrow chevrons above and below the gold chevron) symbolise peaks and mountains, and the family's love of the Lake District and skiing. [30] The white hind supporter echoes earlier royal heraldry, such as the white hind heraldic badge of Joan of Kent, Princess of Wales. [31]
Previous versions
Coat of Arms of Kate Middleton.svg
Coat of Arms of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (2011-2019).svg
Coat of Arms of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.svg
Catherine's coat of arms prior to her marriage depicted the shield from her father Michael Middleton's coat of arms shaped into a lozenge suspended from a ribbon symbolising her unmarried state. Her sister, Philippa, also used the same coat of arms prior to her 2017 marriage. Her brother, James, will in due course inherit his father's coat of arms. [30] The arms granted to her following her marriage were depicted without the Royal Victorian Order circlet, to which she was appointed in 2019.
Other versions
Combined Coat of Arms of William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.svg
In February 2013, Queen Elizabeth II approved the conjugal arms of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, consisting of their individual arms displayed side by side, beneath a helm and coronet denoting the duke's status as grandson of the sovereign. These were released in September of the same year. [33]

See also

References

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  2. "Royal wedding: New Scots title for royal couple". BBC News. 29 April 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  3. Furness, Hannah; Mendick, Robert (10 September 2022). "Royal family title changes: William and Kate become Prince and Princess of Wales". The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Prince of Wales: William speaks of honour after getting title". BBC News. 11 September 2022. Archived from the original on 18 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  5. 1 2 Park, Sabrina (22 December 2022). "A Breakdown of Princess Catherine's Royal Titles Through the Years". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  6. "Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge". royal.uk. Archived from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  7. "King's visit to Scotland to mark coronation confirmed for July". BBC News. 9 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  8. Perring, Rebecca. "The Duchess of Cambridge has received an award for the very first time from the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu". express.co.uk. Daily Express. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  9. Majesty/Joe Little [@MajestyMagazine] (23 October 2018). "The Duchess of Cambridge is wearing the family order for the second time. Its first outing was at the Diplomatic Corps reception in December" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 October 2018 via Twitter.
  10. Gonzales, Erica (23 October 2018). "Kate Middleton Is Covered in Jewels for a State Dinner at Buckingham Palace". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  11. "The Duchess of Cambridge appointed to the Royal Victorian Order". The Royal Family. 29 April 2019. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  12. Milss, Rhiannon (23 April 2024). "King recognises Queen and Prince William in honours list and creates new role for Kate, Princess of Wales". Sky News. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  13. Petit, Stephanie (8 July 2025). "Did you catch Kate Middleton's new royal accessory (and it's not the tiara!)". People. Archived from the original on 9 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  14. Medal Yearbook 2021. Honiton, Devon: Token Publishing. 2021. p. 295. ISBN   978-1-908828-53-8.
  15. Kiehna, Lauren (8 July 2025). "Dazzling British Royal Tiaras for the French State Banquet in Windsor". The Court Jeweller. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  16. Rees, Alex (6 July 2011). "Kate Middleton was made an honorary Canadian ranger yesterday". The Cut. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
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  18. 1 2 3 "King reshuffles military roles with new duties for William and Kate". ITV. 11 August 2023. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  19. Ilse, Jess (30 June 2021). "What is a royal ship sponsor?". Royal Central. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  20. Parnaby, Laura (21 December 2022). "Kate takes on Colonel of Irish Guards position from William". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  21. Stieghorst, Tom (9 April 2013). "Kate Middleton named Royal Princess' godmother". Travel Weekly. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  22. "Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend naming ceremony RRS Sir David Attenborough". The Royal Family. 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  23. Cramb, Auslan (25 February 2011). "Prince William and Kate Middleton return to St Andrews University for anniversary celebrations" . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  24. The Canadian Press (26 July 2011). "UW award honours Duke and Duchess of Cambridge". CTV. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  25. "University of Waterloo offers Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Award". Canada News Wire. 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  26. Parks Canada (16 January 2012). "Minister Kent invites young Canadians to apply for Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Parks Canada Ambassador Program". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  27. "Our Funds". Community Foundation of Prince Edward Island. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  28. "William and Catherine". David Austin Roses. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  29. "Royal rose for The Princess of Wales". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  30. 1 2 3 4 "The arms of Miss Catherine Middleton". College of Arms. 1 May 2011. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  31. 1 2 3 "Coat of Arms of Duchess of Cambridge". The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 14 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012.
  32. "Prince William, Prince of Wales' Royal Standard Flag and Coat of Arms..." Getty Images. 20 April 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  33. "Conjugal arms of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge". College of Arms. 27 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.