Princess Charlotte will likely get a new title at some point in the future, and it is one that is quite significant. The second child of the Prince and Princess of Wales is third in line to the throne and her current title is Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Wales.
When Prince William becomes King, his eldest son and Charlotte’s older brother, Prince George, will become the Prince of Wales a title traditionally given to the heir to the British throne. However, many people have debated what title Charlotte will get when she is older. A future title most royal watchers seem to agree on for Charlotte is the Princess Royal.
According to the royal website, it is a title traditionally carried by the monarch’s oldest daughter and held for life, even if the holder outlives her parent.
The current holder is Princess Anne, who is the seventh Princess Royal in the British monarchy, having held the title since June 1987.
Princess Mary, the daughter of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria, became the first Princess Royal in 1642.
She was followed by Princess Anne in 1727, Princess Charlotte in 1789, Princess Victoria in 1841, Princess Louise in 1905 and Princess Mary in 1932.
Queen Elizabeth II was never bestowed the title when her father, George VI, ascended to the throne following his brother, the Duke of Windsor’s abdication because her aunt, Princess Mary, was still alive.
For Charlotte, it is assumed that when her own aunt, Princess Anne, passes away and her father ascends to the British throne, she will eventually be granted the title.
It is also likely that she will be styled The Princess Charlotte, with the “The” before her name indicating that she’s the child of the monarch.
Meanwhile, unlike her older brother, whose children in the future will automatically inherit the titles of “HRH”, “Prince” or “Princess”, Charlotte’s children will not be given princessly status automatically as titles are inherited through sons, and not daughters.
Charlotte was given an HRH title due to King George V’s Letters Patent in 1917, which stated that the monarch’s children and grandchildren (if they are children of the monarch’s sons), as well as the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, are entitled to princely status.
Which means that William would have to offer to bestow a title to Charlotte’s children, if and when she ever has them, much like the late Queen Elizabeth did for Princess Anne’s children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, which she declined.
The third child of Prince William and Princess Kate, Prince Louis, is also expected to be given a senior title.