King Charles has given both Princess Catherine and Prince William new, royal roles.
His Majesty announced the new appointments on April 23 – which was also little Prince Louis’ sixth birthday.
Catherine was appointed as the Royal Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honour.
The appointment was rather history-making, as Catherine is now the first Royal Companion ever named to this order.
King George V established the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1917 to honour exceptional contributions in the arts, sciences, medicine, and government service.
Membership is limited to 65 individuals at a time, however, additional honorary members from non-Commonwealth countries are allowed.
Notable current members of the Order of the Companions of Honour include David Attenborough, Elton John, Anna Wintour, Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith.
As for William, he was appointed as Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath.
King Charles himself held the role from 1974 to 2022, before he ascended the throne. The role had been vacant since then.
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, founded by King George I in 1725 (but believed to originally date back to the eighth century) is bestowed upon military and civil service members for exceptional service.
The Prince and Princess of Wales weren’t the only members of the British royal family to be given new roles though.
Charles appointed his wife Queen Camilla as the Grand Master and First or Principal Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
King George V founded the Order of the British Empire in 1917 to honour those who had served in a non-combative role and expanded the Order to reward contributions to the Arts, Sciences, Charitable Work and Public Service.
There are five classes of appointment to the Order, and the top two classes make the recipient a knight or dame.
Historically, the title of Grand Master has been held by the spouse of the monarch twice before, with Prince Philip serving from 1953 to 2021 and Queen Mary from 1936 to 1953.
