Prince Charles, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's very unusual royal titles that are only used in some parts of the UK

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published 14 August 2022

Not everybody knows that Prince Charles, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have different titles in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Most royal fans know that, upon marriage, senior members of the royal family are bestowed with duchy's, making the happy couple the duke and duchess of an English county
In addition to this, the pair are also given little known regional titles to use in different parts of the UK
In other royal news, Prince William gave some powerful advice to Deborah James’ kids after losing his own mum Princess Diana

When Prince William and Kate Middleton carried out a variety of engagements in Scotland during Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 earlier this year, their huge title change came as a surprise to some fans.

The royal family have lots of protocols that they must follow, one of the main ones being their titles. Each member of the family has a different one and few people know that their titles vary depending on the region they are visiting.

Why is this? It is simply because the Queen has the power to do so and can bestow different regional titles to members of the family.

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In Scotland, William and Kate are known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn instead of their usual titles, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. In Northern Ireland, the pair are referred to as Lady Carrickfergus and Baron of Carrickfergus. These additional titles were granted upon the Duke and Duchess' marriage in 2011.

But they are not the only royals that go by different titles when visiting different parts of the UK. Prince Charles, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also have alternative names.

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Prince Charles has three titles in Scotland; the Duke of Rothesay, the Earl of Carrick, and the Barron of Renfrew, but he does not hold a title in Northern Ireland.

Although he is no longer a Senior Royal, Prince Harry remains the Duke of Sussex. Just like his brother, he also received secondary titles following his marriage to Meghan Markle in 2018.

The estranged Prince goes by the Earl of Dumbarton in Scotland and Baron Kilkeel in Northern Ireland. Meghan, officially still the Duchess of Sussex, was also bestowed the further titles of Countess of Dumbarton for Scotland, and Baroness Kilkeel in Northern Ireland.

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.