The Prince of Wales's full title is:
His Royal Highness Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB, OM, AK, QSO, PC, ADC, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.
His Majesty King George VI had granted letters patent under the Great Seal of the Realm on 22 October 1948, declaring that children of the marriage of HRH Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, should "have and at all times hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names in addition to any other appellations and titles and honour which may belong to them hereafter".
The announcement was made on 9 November, five days before The Prince was born. Under rules proclaimed by King George V on 17 July 1917, the royal style and title had been restricted to the Sovereign's children and to the children of the Sovereign's sons, which would have excluded any children of the then Princess Elizabeth.
The Prince of Wales
The Prince of Wales is a title created for the male Heir to The Throne. There is no automatic succession to this title, but it is normally passed on when the existing Prince of Wales accedes to the throne. The title becomes merged in the Crown and is renewed only by the Sovereign's pleasure. The Queen created Prince Charles The Prince of Wales on 26 July 1958. The Prince can trace his descent through the Tudors to the original native Princes of Wales, though the title's use for the Heir to the English Throne began with Edward II, who had been created Prince of Wales by his father Edward I in 1301.
Earl of Chester
The Earldom was created by William the Conqueror, with the intention of the Earl keeping an eye on any war-like activities by the Welsh. It reverted to the Crown in 1237, and was passed to the future Edward I. He conferred the Earldom on his son, Edward II, and since then the Earldom of Chester has gone to every Prince of Wales.
Duke of Cornwall
The Prince became Duke of Cornwall automatically upon The Queen's accession on 6 February 1952. The Duchy of Cornwall - the oldest and one of the biggest landed estates in England - has existed for more than 650 years and provides an income for the male heir to the throne. Click here to visit the official website of The Prince of Wales to find out how Their Royal Highnesses use the income from the Duchy to support their official activities.
Duke of Rothesay
When The Prince of Wales is in Scotland, he is known by this title of the Scottish peerage, first conferred by Robert III, King of Scots, on his son David in 1398. An act of the Scottish Parliament in 1469 confirmed its restriction to the heir apparent to the throne of Scotland. Since the 1603 Union of the Crowns the title has descended alongside the Dukedom of Cornwall, and The Prince became Duke of Rothesay at the time of The Queen's accession.
Earl of Carrick and Baron of Renfrew
Other titles of the Scottish peerage inherited by the Heir to The Throne under the 1469 Act.
Lord of The Isles
This ancient title, held by those who ruled the Western Isles as vassals of the King of Scotland, was annexed to the Crown by James V of Scotland in 1540, to be passed to his heirs.
Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
The hereditary office of Great (or High) Steward dates from the 12th Century. The 1469 Act confirmed that the title should go to "the first-born prince of the King of Scots for ever". The Prince has used this title in one of his charities, The Great Steward of Scotland's Dumfries House Trust.
