Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis may be among the most recognizable children in Britain, but inside the classroom, their royal titles are largely left at the school gates. Rather than being addressed by their full titles, the three children can use the surname Wales, a practical tradition designed to give them a more ordinary school experience. Before their parents changed titles, George, Charlotte and Louis were known as the Cambridge children because Prince William and Catherine were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. That changed after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022 and King Charles III became monarch. William became the Prince of Wales, and his children consequently became George of Wales, Charlotte of Wales and Louis of Wales. The arrangement also has a family precedent, since William and Prince Harry were known as William Wales and Harry Wales during their school years while their father was Prince of Wales.

The use of Wales is not the only surname tradition within the Royal Family. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip announced in 1960 that descendants who needed a surname could use Mountbatten-Windsor, combining the Windsor family name with Philip’s Mountbatten name. However, royals with formal titles do not always need to use that surname, and other family members have adopted names connected to their parents’ titles, including Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who have used York. George, Charlotte and Louis now have increasingly separate school lives as they grow older. George began at Eton College in September 2026, following his father’s path, while Charlotte and Louis remain at Lambrook. So while classmates may simply know them as George Wales, Charlotte Wales and Louis Wales, outside school they remain prominent members of the Royal Family, carrying titles that make their identities unmistakable.