List of titles and honours of William, Prince of Wales facts for kids

William in 2021, when he was known as the Duke of Cambridge

William, Prince of Wales has received numerous titles, decorations and honorary appointments both during his time as Duke of Cambridge and Prince of Wales. Each is listed below; where two dates are shown, the former indicates the date of receiving the title or award (the title as Prince William of Wales being given as from his birth) and the latter indicates the date of its loss or renunciation.

Royal and noble titles and styles

Badge of the Prince of Wales

William has been a British prince since birth, and was known as "Prince William of Wales" until 2011. On his wedding day, 29 April 2011, his grandmother Elizabeth II created him Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. The letters patent granting these titles were issued on 26 May that year.

As the eldest son of the monarch, William automatically became Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland on the accession of his father on 8 September 2022. From 8 to 9 September, William was styled as "His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge". On 9 September, Charles III announced the creation of William as Prince of Wales. William has since been known as "His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales", except in Scotland where he has been styled as "His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay", since the accession of his father. The letters patent formally granting him this titles of Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester were issued on 13 February 2023. The usage of the title Prince of Wales has been subject to some controversy over the past decades.

Surname

As a British prince, William does not use a surname for everyday purposes. For formal and ceremonial purposes, children of the Prince of Wales use the title "prince" or "princess" before their forename and follow it with their father's territorial designation. Thus, before becoming a duke when he married, Prince William was styled "Prince William of Wales". Such territorial designations are discarded by women when they marry and by men if they become peers in their own right, such as when Prince William was made a duke.

Although the name of the royal house is Windsor, the surname Mountbatten-Windsor belongs to all the children and male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and is used, if needed, by those who do not have the style of Royal Highness and the title Prince or Princess; when a female descendant marries, she traditionally takes her husband's surname from that point onward, and their children take their father's. Both Princes William and Harry used Wales as their surname for military purposes; this continued to be the case for William after his creation as Duke of Cambridge.

Military ranks

William in the No. 1A Service Dress (Ceremonial Day Dress) uniform of the Royal Air Force (rank worn is Squadron Leader) in September 2022 for the procession to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral

 United Kingdom

University degrees

Country	Date	University	Degree
Scotland	2005	University of St Andrews	Master of Arts (Hons)

Commonwealth realms

Accompanied by his father, Prince William proceeds to St George's Chapel, Windsor, to be installed as the 1000th Knight of the Garter in 2008

Prince William wearing the insignia (aiguillette over his right shoulder and chest) of a personal aide-de-camp to the sovereign in 2013

Appointments (Shown in order in which appointments were made, not order of precedence)

Country	Date	Appointment	Ribbon	Post-nominal letters
England and Wales	23 April 2008	Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter		KG
Scotland	25 May 2012	Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle		KT
United Kingdom	17 March 2013	Personal Aide-de-Camp to the Sovereign		ADC
United Kingdom	9 June 2016	Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council		PC
Tuvalu	30 October 2017	Recipient of the Tuvalu Order of Merit
United Kingdom	23 April 2024	Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath		GCB

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

Country	Date	Decoration	Ribbon	Post-nominal letters
United Kingdom	6 February 2002	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
United Kingdom	6 February 2012	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
United Kingdom	6 February 2022	Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal
United Kingdom	6 May 2023	King Charles III Coronation Medal

Foreign honours

Decorations

Country	Date	Decoration	Ribbon	Post-nominal letters
United States	6 July 2008	Joint Service Achievement Medal

Wear of orders, decorations and medals

The ribbons worn regularly by William in undress uniform are as follows:

Ribbons of William, Prince of Wales

With medals, William normally wears the breast stars of the Garter, Thistle, and Bath. When only one should be worn, he wears the Order of the Garter star, except in Scotland where the Order of the Thistle star is worn.

Honorary military appointments

Prince William, then Duke of Cambridge, in uniform as Colonel of the Irish Guards in 2013

Canada

• 10 November 2009: Honorary Canadian Ranger

United Kingdom

• Since 8 August 2006: Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Navy Submarine Service
• Since 8 August 2006: Commodore-in-Chief, Scotland
• 3 October 2008 – 11 August 2023: Honorary Air Commandant, RAF Coningsby
• Since 11 August 2023: Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Valley
• 10 February 2011 – 21 December 2022: Colonel, Irish Guards
• Since 21 December 2022: Colonel, Welsh Guards
• Since 11 August 2023: Colonel-in-Chief, Mercian Regiment
• Since 11 August 2023: Colonel-in-Chief, Army Air Corps

Non-national titles and honours

Country	Date	Organisation	Position
United Kingdom	6 July 2009 – present	Honourable Society of the Middle Temple	Royal Bencher
United Kingdom	23 June 2010 – present	Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge	Fellow (FRS)
Scotland	1 March 2017 – present	Royal Society of Edinburgh	Royal Honorary Fellow (HonFRSE)
United Kingdom	17 January 2018 – present	Royal Society of Medicine	Honorary Fellow (FRSM)
United Kingdom	2018 – present	St John's College, Cambridge	Honorary Fellow
Scotland	25 January 2020 – 28 February 2022	General Assembly of the Church of Scotland	Lord High Commissioner

Honorific eponyms

The Royal William rose

Awards

•  Canada: Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Award, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
•  Canada: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Parks Canada Youth Ambassadors Program

Buildings

•  Canada: Duke of Cambridge Public School, Bowmanville, Ontario

Flowers

• Royal William rose

Scholarships

•  Canada: HRH Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Legacy Scholarship

See also

• List of titles and honours of Catherine, Princess of Wales
• List of titles and honours of Charles III
• List of titles and honours of Queen Camilla
• List of titles and honours of Elizabeth II
• List of titles and honours of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
• List of titles and honours of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
• List of titles and honours of Anne, Princess Royal
• List of titles and honours of George VI
• List of titles and honours of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
• List of titles and honours of George V
• List of titles and honours of Mary of Teck
• List of titles and honours of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
• List of honours of the British royal family by country