Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh was once nearly given a title that later went to Kate Middleton – but missed out on it because of a decision made by Prince Edward.
Ever since King Charles took the throne in September 2022, following the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton and Prince William have been known as the Prince and Princess of Wales.
It’s customary for the heir to the throne to be given the Prince of Wales title, so when Prince William became first in the royal line of succession, he was given the coveted title, while Catherine, as his wife, became the Princess of Wales.
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But prior to King Charles ascending the throne, Kate and William were primarily known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – titles bestowed upon them by the Queen when they two tied the knot in April of 2011.
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Despite the fact that Kate was known all around the world as the Duchess of Cambridge for over a decade, the title was almost taken by another royal years before.
Yes, Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Edward were the ones set to be given the Cambridge name at first – but this all changed when Edward took a liking to another title.
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When Prince Edward and Sophie married in 1999, they took on the title of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, however the Queen is said to have had the Cambridge Dukedom lined up for her youngest son.
According to a royal courtier, Prince Edward decided to ask to have the Earl of Wessex title instead after watching Shakespeare in Love – meaning that while the Duchess of Cambridge title would’ve gone to Sophie, she actually became the Countess of Wessex, with Kate Middleton eventually taking the title instead.
Speaking to The Telegraph back in 2010, the unnamed royal courtier explained, “Prince Edward was going to be the Duke of Cambridge, but he watched the film Shakespeare in Love, which had a character called the Earl of Wessex. He liked the sound of it and asked the Queen if he could have that instead.”
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There was also some uncertainty surrounding Prince Edward’s new Duke of Edinburgh title when it came to King Charles’s decision on who to give it to.
For decades, the iconic title belonged to the late Prince Philip and when the time came for King Charles to bestow the title, it was reported that he considered saving it for his granddaughter.
Amid speculation that the King would hand it to his brother, it was claimed that the monarch wanted to keep the title so that Princess Charlotte could go on to be the Duchess of Edinburgh, which was also a little known title of Queen Elizabeth II.
“Discussions are underway, but the favored outcome for the King is that this title ought to go to Princess Charlotte,” a source told The Mail on Sunday at the time.
“It would be a fitting way to remember the Queen – who, of course, had the title Duchess of Edinburgh – and a way for His Majesty to honour the line of succession.”
