How Prince Charles’ Becoming King Will Affect Prince William And Prince Harry

Prince Harry, Prince William and Prince Charles — Prince William And Harry Open Center For Wounded Soldiers John Sibley - WPA Pool/Getty Images

One aspect of royal family life that has both fascinated and mystified fans is their royal titles. Specifically, fans are wondering what changes might happen to the titles of Prince William and Princes Harry once their father, Prince Charles, ascends the throne.

Prince William is currently the Duke of Cambridge, while his younger brother, Prince Harry, is the Duke of Sussex. Now fans are speculating what title upgrades await both brothers once their father, the current Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall, will succeed their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, to the throne.

Interestingly, someone posted on the site Quora the question on whether or not William will become the Prince of Wales and Harry the Duke of York if their father becomes king. Apparently, the person who posted the query likened William and Harry to Charles and Andrew, the current holder of both titles.

When Charles sits on the throne, Prince William will automatically inherit a few titles from his father. “William will become the Duke of Cornwall and the Duke of Rothesey,” wrote Alan Martin on Quora in response to the question. He added that the Duke of Cornwall title will likely become his primary title since it’s higher ranking compared to his current Duke of Cambridge title.

As for the Prince of Wales title, it’s not automatically transferred from Charles to William. “Sometime later, Charles III will likely create William as the Prince of Wales. This is not automatic, and requires letters patent from the Monarch to happen,” Martin explained.

Prince Charles and Prince William — Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, in his role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Garter and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, in his role as a Knight Companion walk in the procession to the Order of the Garter Service. WPA Pool/Getty Images

On the other hand, Charles’ ascension to the throne will have a minor impact on Prince Harry as far as his royal title is concerned. In addition, he will not likely become the Duke of York as well.

“The Duke of York title is currently held by Prince Andrew,” Martin wrote. “Prince Andrew has no sons to inherit his title, so when Prince Andrew dies, the title will become extinct and be available for granting out again. However, Harry already has a Duchy, and therefore is unlikely to be created another Duke.”

There will be a minor change in Prince Harry’s formal title, however. “The titles of the children of the new king (ie Prince William and Prince Harry) would be changed to include the definitive title (‘the’),” explained Dave Rowlands when responding to a related Quora question. Thus, Harry’s formal title would become “His Royal Highness THE Prince Henry, The Duke of Sussex.”

Charles’ becoming king would also upgrade Harry’s children. Baby Archie will now have the HRH title and will become a prince.