Princess Charlotte could 'lose her title' when her father becomes king - but there might be one royal role she can step into

The Princess's future is looking a little uncertain

Princess Charlotte at Trooping the Colour 2023
(Image credit: Avpics/Alamy)

There could be drastic changes in Princess Charlotte's future once Prince William takes the throne. The rules of succession could see the young royal 'lose her titles,' and her life 'change dramatically'.

Princess Charlotte is currently facing some difficulties in her life. Amid planning thoughtful treats for Kate Middleton as she recovers from surgery, King Charles' cancer diagnosis will be difficult for the young Princess to face. 

The upheaval in the family coinciding with Charlotte's mother and grandfather's ill health has also seen Prince William forced out of family life and back to Royal duties sooner than he would've liked.

Now, reports in the Mirror suggest Princess Charlotte's future titles could be set to change, leaving her future looking uncertain. According to the publication, broadcaster OSSA suggested the Princess's life will "change dramatically when her father succeeds his grandfather as King."

They added: "When that happens, life as Charlotte knows it will look very different. In fact, there is a good chance she’ll lose her titles when her dad is on the throne."

Princess Charlotte

(Image credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)

Explaining what this could look like, the broadcaster suggested that when William becomes King, Prince George will be the Prince of Wales. Once this happens, they added Charlotte could become "Charlotte of nothing". 

They added: "Her right to be Princess of Wales flies out the window when her brother gets the official title of Prince of Wales because a Royal lady can only be a Princess if she’s married to a Prince or the daughter of a Prince. As George’s sister, Charlotte doesn’t fit either category."

However, the Royal Family are unlikely to leave Charlotte without a title, leading to speculation she could adopt the title of Princess Royal. Princess Anne is the current holder of this particular title, which OSSA described as "a special title held by the eldest daughter of the reigning monarch."

It's been pointed out that there can only be one holder of this honorary title at any one time. Therefore, Charlotte would need to wait until Princess Anne passes away to have it granted to her - even then, it's a style customarily, but not automatically awarded to eldest daughters by British Monarchs. 

Princess Anne became the seventh Princess Royal in 1987. Given at the discretion of the sovereign, Royal daughters have no automatic rights to the title. Royal watchers will need to wait and see if Princess Charlotte becomes the eighth holder of the style, or whether William will have a different title in mind for his only daughter. 

In other royal news, King Charles and Prince William have united in refusing to admit to one very relatable thing. Kate Middleton still managed to have a family-oriented half term, despite her ongoing recovery from surgery. Meanwhile, a clip of Prince Louis protecting Princess Charlotte went viral - and left Royal fans laughing at his antics.

Lucy Wigley
Parenting writer - contributing

Lucy is a mum-of-two, multi-award nominated writer and blogger with six years’ of experience writing about parenting, family life, and TV. Lucy has contributed content to PopSugar and moms.com. In the last three years, she has transformed her passion for streaming countless hours of television into specialising in entertainment writing. There is now nothing she loves more than watching the best shows on television and sharing why you - and your kids - should watch them.