King Charles grants Prince William special new royal title

Prince William has just received a new royal title, one that was previously held by his father.

On Friday, May 16, during a rare royal service at Westminster Abbey, King Charles officially named the Prince of Wales as the Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, as reported by GB News.

The appointment came during the order’s 300th anniversary celebration — a significant moment that saw both monarch and heir unite for the ceremony held once every four years.

The Order of the Bath, established in 1725, honours military leaders and senior civil servants. Its name stems from a medieval ritual in which aspiring knights would purify themselves in a ceremonial bath before their investiture.

This marked King Charles’ first time leading the Service as Sovereign. He had previously served as Great Master of the Order — a position he was appointed to by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 at the age of 26.

After Charles became King in 2022 and passed on the title of Prince of Wales to his eldest son, William also inherited the role of Great Master, traditionally held by the heir to the throne.

While the Sovereign attends the Order of the Bath service every eight years, the Great Master is expected to participate in each one, held every four years.

During the service, William and Charles joined a formal procession with Knights and Dames Grand Cross, taking their places in the Quire for the traditional oath-taking and installation ceremony.

The father-son duo then led the procession to the Henry VII Lady Chapel, where the new Knights were officially installed.