What titles do William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, hold for their children by modern convention?

1. How the children are styled now: formal royal convention

By convention each child of the Prince and Princess of Wales is given the princely style with their father’s territorial designation: formally they are “His/Her Royal Highness Prince/Princess [Forename] of Wales,” which is the standard ceremonial form cited across reporting and reference guides ^{[1] [4] [5]}.

2. What they use day-to-day: Wales as a convenient surname

In everyday contexts where a surname is required—schools, sports teams, some administrative records—the children have been reported as using “Wales” (for example, George Wales, Charlotte Wales, Louis Wales), a long-standing informal convention tied to their father’s title rather than a legal family name ^{[3] [4]}.

3. What changes if William becomes king: automatic and discretionary shifts

On accession William’s titles will alter and his eldest son will immediately inherit some positions tied to the Crown: Prince George will automatically become Duke of Cornwall and will also take the Scottish hereditary title Duke of Rothesay; the historic title Prince of Wales, however, is not automatic and is granted at the monarch’s discretion—though reporting says it is “almost certain” George would be named Prince of Wales, timing and conditions (age/marital status) are matters for the sovereign ^{[2] [1]}.

4. Why some titles revert to the Crown and why that matters

Certain peerages William currently holds (for example, Duke of Cambridge) revert to the Crown on his accession rather than passing automatically to his son; they may be regranted later. That means when William becomes king the family will be reshuffled: some titles George gains by right, others only if the new monarch decides to bestow them, and different dukedoms may be allocated depending on availability and precedent ^{[2] [4]}.

5. The uncertain futures of Charlotte and Louis

Reporting emphasises that Charlotte and Louis already hold HRH princely styles as William’s children, but any new dukedoms or substantive peerages for them when William is king are discretionary. Media coverage notes William and Kate appear to be preparing for different futures for their three children—George for public duty, Charlotte and Louis possibly encouraged toward private lives—which could influence whether and what titles the monarch awards to them later ^{[1] [2]}.

6. Precedent, politics and public perception

Historic practice backs the likely path—eldest sons as Duke of Cornwall and Prince of Wales—yet commentators and royal experts stress the Crown’s choice remains political and symbolic. Some titles have become politically sensitive (for example, the York dukedom’s recent controversy), and modern decisions about titles can reflect both tradition and contemporary PR considerations for the monarchy ^{[2] [4]}.

7. Limitations of current reporting and what’s not said

Available sources explain conventional styling, Cornwall/Rothesay inheritances and the discretionary nature of Prince of Wales, but they do not provide definitive legal texts or a step-by-step legal mechanism for each title transfer; nor do they report any final, immutable plan from William or the Crown about exactly which peerages will be regranted to George, Charlotte or Louis in future ^{[2] [4]}. Sources also vary in tone—some presenting the Prince of Wales bestowal as almost certain, others noting it remains at the sovereign’s discretion ^{[1] [2]}.

8. Bottom line for readers

Under modern convention the children are formally princes and a princess “of Wales” and use Wales informally as a surname; upon William’s accession George will inherit Cornwall and Rothesay and very likely be created Prince of Wales, but that final bestowal and any future dukedoms for Charlotte and Louis are discretionary decisions for the reigning monarch and are shaped by precedent, availability and contemporary considerations ^{[3] [2] [1]}.