Get in line, Princess Charlotte! Though Kate Middleton and Prince William‘s three-year-old daughter is arguably the cutest royal around, Charlotte will sadly have to wait quite some time to inherit the very coveted Princess Royal title. Why, you ask? Well, not surprisingly, it’s a bit complicated. 

Historically, the Princess Royal title is bestowed to the eldest daughter of the monarch and there can only be one Princess Royal at a time. Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter, Princess Anne, currently holds the name and she’ll seemingly be keeping it for a while, especially since once the title is given it’s inherited for life. 

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But when Prince Charles one day becomes King, things get even messier because he doesn’t have any daughters, just sons William and Prince Harry. So, according to Elle magazine, Charlotte will actually have to wait until her dad, William, becomes King of England after his father, Charles, either passes away or abdicates the throne. 

And just because the title is up for grabs again for Charlotte when William becomes King doesn’t mean she won’t have to wait even longer to become the Princess Royal. “Princess Anne had to wait until 1987 before her mother the Queen bestowed the title of Princess Royal on her, even though the title had been vacant since 1965,” royal expert Duncan Larcombe told Town & Country.

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Ultimately, William and Kate will one day get to decide if they want to give Charlotte the Princess Royal title or not. And if they do give her the name, it’s probably best to wait until Charlotte ties the knot. 

“Under ancient British law, any man who sleeps with the Princess Royal before they are married is guilty of high treason — punishable by execution!” Larcombe added. “Perhaps Princess Charlotte’s future boyfriends had better look out. At the very least, Wills and Kate are likely to wait until after Charlotte marries before giving her the title.” Fascinating, right?! 

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