Kate Middleton has been appointed a new royal title by King Charles III. Other members of the royal family were also appointed new titles, but the Princess of Wales' is special in that it marks a first in the history of the British royal family.
The new titles were announced on April 23, 2024, which also happens to be the sixth birthday of Prince Louis. Kate was appointed as the Royal Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honour. The Order of the Companions of Honour was founded by King George V in 1917 as a way to recognize outstanding achievements in the arts, sciences, medicine, and public service.
There can only be 65 members at a time. Some of them currently include David Attenborough, Elton John, Anna Wintour, Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith. Kate's new appointment comes as both she and King Charles III are battling cancer.
"He has always had a very good bond with her. I don’t think it is presumptuous to say that she is like the daughter he never had," royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith recently told People in an interview. "He shares with William an impulse to protect her. They are in this together, Kate and the King."
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Prince William was appointed the Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, which has been vacant since 2022 after King Charles, who held the role from 1974 to 2022, acceded to the throne.
Queen Camilla received an appointment as the Grand Master and First or Principal Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. King Charles also named four new members of the Companions to the Order of the Garter.
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