Prince William holds a title aside from Prince of Wales that has a history of tragedies dating back to when it was first given out in the 17th century and it could one day be inherited by George of Louis
An ‘unlucky’ title held by Prince William has a little known tragic past and can be inherited by George or Louis.
Senior members of the Royal Family have a whole series of titles that date back centuries and all have their own intriguing history. William became the Prince of Wales when Charles was crowned King and before that he had three other titles including the Duke of Cambridge.
Even though he is now typically known as the Prince of Wales he still is also the Duke of Cambridge which is a title that could one day be passed on to his sons George or Louis. And many royal fans don’t know the tragedies that have befallen other royals who have held the position.
It dates back to the reign of Charles ll and William is only the eighth person to hold it. It was created by Charles ll in 1660 and within 17 years of its creation there had already been four different holders owing to a succession of deaths.
The very first Duke of Cambridge was the eldest nephew of the king, Charles Stuart but he sadly died aged just six months old. The next in line was his younger brother, James Stuart but tragedy struck again when the young royal died of what is believed to have either been smallpox or the bubonic plague.
The King then made his third oldest nephew, Edgar Stuart, the Duke of Cambridge but he died at the age of three. And next in line for the ill-fated title was their younger brother, Charles Stuart, who also passed away very young at just 35-days old.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the title was not used again until 1706 when Queen Anne made the future King George II the fifth Duke of Cambridge. The title was then given by King George III to his seventh son, Prince Adolphus. It then passed to the prince’s son, Prince George and became extinct after his death as his marriage had violated The Royal Marriages Act of 1772.
The heir to the Dukedom of Cambridge is currently Prince George, but whether he will ever inherit the title or not depends on when his father inherits the throne and when he eventually marries. If George becomes the Prince of Wales earlier than expected, it is possible that Louis could become the next Duke of Cambridge.
But if George inherits his father’s current title, Louis could get a different royal title, the Duke of York, which is traditionally held by the second son of the monarch. But this would of course depend on what happens to Prince Andrew. Previous Dukes of York include the late Queen’s grandfather, King George V and her father, George VI, meaning she was known as Princess Elizabeth of York until her father became the king in 1936.