Duke and Duchess of Cambridge?

[Fiona the Good]

Just like William's mother was incorrectly called "Princess Diana or Di".

As an alternative she could be called Her Royal Highness Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge. A shorter and slightly less formal style.

Chas

My understanding is that she would be called Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge. If she were HRH Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge, she would be the widowed mother of the present Duke of Cambridge - which clearly the former Catherine Middleton is not.

[Chas]

So, quick question:

My understanding is that in Scotland the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are generally referred to respecitvely as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay. Is this following a particular protocol, or is it a personal preference?

Similarly, would the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge be referred to as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn whilst north of the border?

Yes Tim, it is protocol. They would use the highest Scottish title and style.

Regards

Chas

[fluter]

Yes Tim, it is protocol. They would use the highest Scottish title and style.

Regards

Chas

I do hope they decide to wear the Strathearn tartan. Particularly in House of Edgar's muted colors, I think it's gorgeous.

[McClef]

It is likely that the Queen chose Cambridge rather than another of the vacant royal Dukedoms because of her grandmother's (Queen Mary) mother (Mary Adelaide of Teck) being the daughter of a Duke of Cambridge who was a son of George III.

Personally I would have preferred he had been created Duke of Clarence - the last holder of that office also being called William (later King William IV).

[O'Callaghan]

Whilst it's not technically correct to say Princess Kate, it's what I'm sure most people will call her, including yours truly. You can't be sent to the tower or beheaded for saying it, so what's the problem?

If she had married a Mr. William Wales, which in a sense she did, as that is the surname that Prince William actually uses as a member of the armed forces, she would not now be called Mrs. William Wales but Mrs. Catherine Wales, because the style of the wife using the husband's first name is entirely obsolete in England today, and has been for many, many years*, regardless of whatever anyone might say to the contrary. Anyone using that form of address would be laughed at. For this precise reason I would rather die than refer to her as Princess William, as to do so would be 'social death', whatever even the Palace may pronounce on the subject.

So, it is just as well she also has another title, as in the unlikely event that it was necessary to refer to HRH Kate (LOL!) in the presence of the Queen, for example, the only acceptable way out of the conundrum would be to refer to her as the Duchess of Cambridge. I have met Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, BTW, although never the Queen herself or any other member of the royal family, so the unlikely is not necessarily the impossible.

*ETA: Many, many years in this case meaning within my lifetime, and probably at least those of my parents, who are in their eighties.

[Burly Brute]

Might I interject for a moment and let it be known that after all this has been said---I need some tylenol!!!! lol


Wow.

[Paul Henry]

Whilst it's not technically correct to say Princess Kate, it's what I'm sure most people will call her, including yours truly. You can't be sent to the tower or beheaded for saying it, so what's the problem?

If she had married a Mr. William Wales, which in a sense she did, as that is the surname that Prince William actually uses as a member of the armed forces, she would not now be called Mrs. William Wales but Mrs. Catherine Wales, because the style of the wife using the husband's first name is entirely obsolete in England today, and has been for many, many years*, regardless of whatever anyone might say to the contrary. Anyone using that form of address would be laughed at. For this precise reason I would rather die than refer to her as Princess William, as to do so would be 'social death', whatever even the Palace may pronounce on the subject.

So, it is just as well she also has another title, as in the unlikely event that it was necessary to refer to HRH Kate (LOL!) in the presence of the Queen, for example, the only acceptable way out of the conundrum would be to refer to her as the Duchess of Cambridge. I have met Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, BTW, although never the Queen herself or any other member of the royal family, so the unlikely is not necessarily the impossible.

*ETA: Many, many years in this case meaning within my lifetime, and probably at least those of my parents, who are in their eighties.

My emboldening
It's not entirely obsolete, it's unusual perahps but I still know of many wives who are known as Mrs - husbands name,My mother generally prefers to be known in that fashion, although she is in her late seventies.
No one laughs at that form of address, and hardly social death either

[Bugbear]

Might I interject for a moment and let it be known that after all this has been said---I need some tylenol!!!! lol


Wow.

I'm sure many British say the same about us, Brute.

I have no complaints, and glad all went so well.

[Spartan Tartan]

So, from all this I can assume that if I ever (read Never) get to meet the new Princess, I should refrain from calling her "sweatheart" or something similar

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

My emboldening
It's not entirely obsolete, it's unusual perahps but I still know of many wives who are known as Mrs - husbands name,My mother generally prefers to be known in that fashion, although she is in her late seventies.
No one laughs at that form of address, and hardly social death either

Quite right.

Taking it to the level of the royals, correct form is HRH Princess Michael of Kent, not Princess Marie-Christine of Kent. The same would apply to HRH Princess William of Wales, Duchess of Cambridge.

Concerning the status of the Duke of Cambridge in Scotland, to the best of my understanding he would not use his subsidiary Scottish title, but would be correctly styled as "HRH Prince William of Wales, Duke of Cambridge"; the use of a subsidiary Scottish title (Duke of Rothsey) by the Prince of Wales as heir apparent to the Scottish throne is a situation unique to the independent nature of the Scottish kingdom that in no way effects his children or any other member of the royal family.

In so far as the dukedom of Clarence is concerned, the last member of the royal family to hold that title was King Edward VII's eldest son, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, who died in 1892, clearing the way for his younger brother to ascend the throne as George V.