Prince William Shouldn’t Have Been The Duke Of Cambridge But This Royal

Prince William and Kate Middleton were given the title of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge upon their marriage in 2011. According to royal tradition, the sons of the Queen are to receive dukedoms upon marriage or majority, and the specific dukedom is the reigning monarch’s decision to grant. However, it has been revealed that Prince William wasn’t supposed to have the dukedom of Cambridge if it had been previously accepted by someone else.

Originally, the title of Duke of Cambridge was supposed to be given to Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Prince Edward. When he was made an earl upon his marriage to Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, people thought that Edward was the “black sheep” of the family. This was proven far from the truth as he actually had been the one to specifically ask the Queen not to make him a duke.

He was smitten by the character Lord Wessex from the film “Shakespeare In Love,” so he asked to be granted the title Earl of Wessex instead. Although Wessex is not a current region of the United Kingdom, the Queen humored her youngest son, thus granting him the title.

Many believe that the title will be temporary as there has been talk of Her Majesty granting Edward the title of Duke of Edinburgh when his father, Prince Philip, passes away. Officially the title returns to the crown after the holder passes away, but the Queen has the choice to reissue it to Prince Edward. The Earl of Wessex has been groomed for the role and has been taking some of his father’s duties since the Duke of Edinburgh retired in 2017.

Aside from the title going to someone else, Prince William may not have been the Duke of Cambridge because he was reported to not have wanted a dukedom. Prince William originally wanted to remain as he was known and instead wished for his wife to be named as Princess Catherine instead.

This might have been an issue as traditionally princesses receive their titles through birth rather than marriage. Things were ironed out, however, and the dukedom of Cambridge was granted to William and Catherine.