The next generation of the Royal Family may well mark a major change from how things have played out for generations. For starters, by all accounts, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s kids actually like each other. Who knew siblings were allowed to get along in the Royal Family? Surely there’s some kind of ancient charter forbidding it?
Prince George might be destined to wear the crown after his dad, William, takes over from his own father, King Charles, but the current Prince and Princess of Wales are known to treat their children with equal affection — apparently as part of some vow from Kate’s that her kids won’t turn out like William and Harry. In years to come, then, George will hopefully remain close with his younger sister, Princess Charlotte, and little brother, Prince Louis.
Charlotte, in particular, could prove to have more power than is typical for the first daughter of a king. Not only did she break from tradition at birth, but eventually she’ll come by a title that only eight other princesses have done before her.
Princess Charlotte to take after her great-aunt in inheriting unusual Royal title

As things stand, Charlotte’s full title is Princess Charlotte of Wales, but once William ascends to the throne she’ll earn herself a very special additional appellation that’s been dusted off less than 10 times over the history of the British monarchy.
Once her dad dons the crown, Charlotte will officially become Princess Royal, a rarely used title that is given to the eldest daughter of the ruling monarch. The very first Princess Royal was Princess Mary, daughter of King Charles I, in the 1600s. Since then, only seven other princesses have sported the title. These are Princess Louisa Maria (daughter of King James II), Princess Anne (King George II), namesake Princess Charlotte (King George III), Princess Victoria (Queen Victoria), Princess Louise (King Edward VII), Princess Mary (King George V), and, obviously, Princess Anne, the current Princess Royal — sister to King Charles III and Charlotte’s great-aunt.
While being only the ninth Princess Royal in history is a nice enough accolade, Princess Charlotte has already achieved another that makes her the very first of her kind. Thanks to an historic alteration to the rules of the line of succession, Charlotte is the first princess not to fall victim to the archaic rule of male primogeniture, which means she still ranks above her younger brother, Louis, in the pecking order despite being female.
If this was Westeros, this kind of thing could inspire the most vicious of sibling rivalries, but thankfully George, Charlotte, and Louis seem above that kind of thing, thanks to the way they’ve been brought up. It would be a novelty to have the next generation of the Royal Family not be known for their feuds and falling outs. Maybe the key is to make sure they just get to be kids for as long as possible (even if Royal childhoods contain some weird rites of passage).
Published: Feb 3, 2025 09:58 am