Princess Charlotte won’t be given her inherited title automatically

Royal titles appear to be pretty straightforward. As far as we understand, when William becomes King, Kate will be Queen and the rest of the family shuffles a little closer towards the throne. Right?

Right. Except for Charlotte. Turns out, even when the Princess' father succeeds to the title of King of England, the three-year-old will have to wait a little longer to be given her inherited title of "Princess Royal".

That's because it already belongs to someone else.

The title of "Princess Royal" is bestowed on the oldest daughter of the monarch, royal expert Duncan Larcombe told TownandCountrymag.com. And before you say, "That will be Charlotte!", there's a technicality: it's a title that, once bestowed, remains for life.

It's currently held by the Queen's oldest daughter, Princess Anne, meaning it won't be up for grabs until the 67-year-old has passed away. Yet even then, Larcombe pointed out, it's up to the discretion of the monarch as to when it's handed over.

"Princess Anne had to wait until 1987 before her mother the Queen bestowed the title of Princess Royal on her, even though the title had been vacant since 1965," Larcombe said. Anne was only 15 at the time of her mother's coronation, so it makes sense that the Queen held off before the Princess was a little more mature.

At only three years old we can understand if William also wants to wait a little longer. Especially because the title comes with some pretty peculiar rules. "Under ancient British law, any man who sleeps with the Princess Royal before they are married is guilty of high treason—punishable by execution!" said Larcombe.

Yikes. That's a lot of pressure. For the sake of Charlotte's dating life, a bit of time before becoming "Princess Royal" seems like a good idea.