The King's tribute to Princess Kate and Prince William goes viral

King Charles III's tribute to Princess Kate and Prince William on the occasion of their acceptance of the new titles of Prince and Princess of Wales has gone viral after footage of his first speech as monarch resurfaced on TikTok two years after his accession to the throne.

Charles became king on September 8, 2022, following the death of his 96-year-old mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Her death triggered a historic chain of events within the monarchy that resulted in Charles immediately assuming the crown and members of the royal family changing their order of precedence in the official line of succession.

When Charles became king, Prince William was first in line to the throne. To mark his eldest son's new position as heir apparent, the monarch gave him and his daughter-in-law Kate new titles.

William and Kate became the new Prince and Princess of Wales. The title of Prince of Wales dates back to the 14th century and has been given to the eldest son of the monarch for generations. It is not inherited, but is bestowed by the reigning king or queen.

Charles was created Prince of Wales by his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in 1958, when he was just 9 years old. He held the title for 64 years, making him the longest-serving Prince of Wales in British history.

Charles announced the elevation of his son and daughter-in-law's titles during his first speech as monarch, filmed at Buckingham Palace in London on September 9, 2022. The speech was broadcast across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth the same day.

Footage of Charles' tribute to his son and daughter-in-law, uploaded to TikTok on September 9 by user @princessmiddleton_, has been viewed over 420,000 times on the platform.

“As my heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles that have meant so much to me. He succeeds me as Duke of Cornwall and takes on the responsibility for the Duchy of Cornwall that I have held for more than five decades,” said Charles.

“Today I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been privileged to bear for much of my life and duties.

“With Catherine by his side, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I am sure, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations and help bring marginalised groups into the centre where vital help can be provided.”

The video received over 26,000 likes and over 100 comments, many of which praised William and Kate.

“Great couple. The Prince and Princess of Wales,” wrote one TikTok user.

“So proud of these two,” posted another. “Future King and Queen of England.”

With her husband's elevation to Prince of Wales, Kate became the first Princess of Wales to bear this title since the death of Princess Diana.

The title is automatically inherited by the wives of the Prince of Wales, and so Queen Camilla was legally the Princess of Wales before Kate. However, out of respect and consideration for the late Diana, she chose to be known by the less important title of Duchess of Cornwall.

Charles and Kate's relationship has been in the public spotlight since early 2024, when both royals were diagnosed with cancer.

Charles has publicly described Kate as his “beloved daughter-in-law.”

James Crawford-Smith is NewsweekThe royal reporter based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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