Prince George,Princess CharlotteandPrince Louishave new surnames.
On Friday,King Charles IIIaddressed the United Kingdom for the first time sinceQueen Elizabeth IIdied at the age of 96.Among the changes announced, Charles, 73, shared thatPrince William, 40, andKate Middleton, 40, have inherited the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales.
Their three children — who are now thesecond, third, and fourthin line to the throne — go from being Princes and Princess of Cambridge to being Princes and Princess of Wales. Therefore, they are nowPrince Georgeof Wales,Princess Charlotteof Wales andPrince Louisof Wales.
From left: Prince George, Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Prince William and Princess Charlotte.PA
The children were previously known as George Cambridge, Charlotte Cambridge and Louis Cambridge at school. Now they will be known to their friends and teachers as George Wales, Charlotte Wales and Louis Wales.
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The change comes as all three siblings started at theirnew school,Lambrook, this week following their family move out of London over the summer. The family of five now lives in Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.
Prince George, Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Prince William and Princess Charlotte.PA
“Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty,” Charles said during his address. “With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given.”
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As William and Kate take on their new titles, a royal source told PEOPLE the couple is focused on “deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time.”
“The Prince and Princess of Wales will approach their roles in the modest and humble way they’ve approached their work previously,” the source added.
AsKate Middletontakes on the title of Princess of Wales, which William’s mother, the latePrincess Diana, once held, a royal source told PEOPLE: “The new Princess of Wales appreciates the history associated with this role but will understandably want to look to the future as she creates her own path.”
Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte.Samir Hussein/WireImage
Charlotte’s spot in the royal line is due to a 2013 succession law that allows the crown to pass on in order of birth regardless of gender. (Up until then, succession rules stated that the crown would pass to the eldest male heir and only to a female heir when there were no other male heirs available.)
“That might seem like a minor thing, but it is a big victory for equality,” Williams previously said of the amendment. “It says to people, which [the Queen] proved more than anyone, that a monarch is a job and a woman can do it just as well as a man.”
source: people.com
