Royals

Kate Middleton and Prince William Are in Scotland! Why Their Royal Titles Change When They're in the Country

William and Kate are known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn in Scotland

Published on May 11, 2022 08:13 AM

prince william, kate middleton — Prince William and Kate Middleton. Photo: Andrew Milligan - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Kate Middleton and Prince William kicked off a two-day visit to Scotland on Wednesday with a day of outings focused on mental health in Glasgow.

And while the couple has been known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge since their wedding day, they go by different titles when they are in Scotland.

Queen Elizabeth bestowed three different titles to William when he wed Kate in 2011: Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. As his wife, those titles also apply to Kate.

Since they hold Scottish titles, when Kate and William visit Scotland they are known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn.

For their first stop in Glasgow, William and Kate spent the morning with a group of young children taking part in a groundbreaking program to aid their wellbeing. The parents of three sat in on a Roots of Empathy session at St. John's Primary School. The initiative is an early intervention program run by one of Kate's leading causes, Action for Children, and it has been developed to help young children build empathy.

The Duchess of Cambridge with P3 pupils during a visit to St. John's Primary School, Port Glasgow — Prince William and Kate Middleton. Alamy Stock Photo

Roots of Empathy is a classroom program where infants are taken to visit elementary schools on a regular basis, in order to allow the school children to observe the infants' development and emotions.

The couple also spent time talking to some of the older children who have completed the program.

The outing was of special interest to Princess Kate, who last year launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to continue her focus on the emotional and mental wellbeing of young children.

For their second stop of the day, the couple visited the Wheatley Group — Scotland's leading housing, care and property-management group tackling homelessness and supporting vulnerable tenants during the cost of living crisis. Over the past two years, they've provided more than 5,000 homes to homeless people across Scotland.

The Duchess of Cambridge meets Laura Molloy and her 10-month-old son Saul Molloy during a visit to St. John's Primary School — Kate Middleton. Alamy Stock Photo

The royals surprised tenants during a walkabout as they chatted with children and their families and visited some of the locals in their homes.

Bernadette Hewitt, tenant Chair of Wheatley Homes Glasgow, said: "It was wonderful for the royal couple to spend time in the heart of one of our communities and speak with tenants and their children about their lives and how they are being supported by Wheatley. It was an experience and a day our tenants will never forget."

The couple's last stop on Wednesday was to the University of Glasgow to talk to students, academics and recent alumni about mental health. During a walkabout on campus, William chatted with students about how the school has adapted amid the COVID-19 pandemic via online learning.

kate middleton, prince william — Kate Middleton and Prince William speak with students during a visit to the University of Glasgow. Jane Barlow - WPA POOL/Getty

Their visit comes after an emotional outing on Tuesday, which saw the couple make a poignant visit to Manchester to open a memorial to the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

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