Kate Middleton and Prince William Would’ve Had Different Royal Titles if It Weren’t for This Oscar-Winning Movie
Believe it or not, the Academy Awards have a connection to Kate Middleton, Prince William, and the British royal family. Sure, the pair attend award shows and movie premieres from time to time and rub shoulders with actors. But one Oscar-winning movie is said to have impacted what royal titles the couple received. Ahead, the award-winning film that, in a way, helped determine their titles.
Prince Edward and Sophie were slated for Cambridge titles before William and Kate got them in 2011
Before they were the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate were known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The late Queen Elizabeth II gave them the titles on April 29, 2011, the day of their royal wedding.
From then on, it’s what William and Kate went by formally. At one point, their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, even used Cambridge as their last name, as is common practice among royals.
However, things came close to being different. As a courtier revealed to The Telegraph in 2010, the Cambridge titles weren’t always headed William and Kate’s way. Instead, Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, were slated to receive the Cambridge titles.
Edward preferred the Wessex title after watching ‘Shakespeare in Love’
Now for what changed a (small) part of royal history: Shakespeare in Love. A courtier claimed that after watching the 1998 Oscar-winning film, Edward, now the Duke of Edinburgh, took a liking to the Earl of Wessex title. Why? Because of a character in the movie with a similar name.
Apparently, he liked the name so much that he preferred it to the Duke of Cambridge, the title he was set to receive had he not asked to be Earl of Wessex.
“Prince Edward was going to be the Duke of Cambridge,” the courtier said. “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.”
Colin Firth played Lord Wessex in Shakespeare in Love, so not quite Earl of Wessex, but close. Unlike his co-star Gwyneth Paltrow, Firth didn’t win an Oscar for his own performance.
It wasn’t until 2011 that he took home the Academy Award for Best Actor. Firth won for his portrayal of King George VI, the late queen’s father, in The King’s Speech.
Edward, William, and Kate now go by other royal titles
Since September 2022, when Queen Elizabeth II died and King Charles III took the throne, William, Kate, and Edward have gone by different titles. Although technically, they’re still the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Earl of Wessex.
The king gave the trio, among other royals, titles when he became the head of the British royal family. From then on, William and Kate were known as the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Meanwhile, Edward took over his late father Prince Philip’s long-held title, making him and Sophie the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
