William and Kate are currently Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Mayor of Cambridge says it will be a 'great honour' for the historic city
Due date of couple's first child thought to be Saturday, 13 July
Duchess will give birth in St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, west London
All of the couple's children will carry the same title
The Royal baby will have the title His Royal Highness Prince [first
name] of Cambridge, or Her Royal Highness Princess [first name] of
Cambridge.
The official title of William and Kate's first child, thought to be
due on Saturday, 13 July, will be His or Her Royal Highness Prince or
Princess [first name] of Cambridge, following the Dukedom gifted to
William and his wife by the Queen as a wedding present in 2011.
The baby will be born at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west
London, where William was born in 1982.
The Mayor of Cambridge, Councillor Paul Saunders, said it was a 'great
honour' for the historic city.
'It is a great honour and I'm sure the people of Cambridge will
appreciate it greatly,' he said.
'I think it's lovely to continue the close link with the Royal family.
I think anything which helps to keep Cambridge in the public eye is a
good thing as we rely on tourism.'
Former Cambridge mayor Cllr Sheila Stewart, who met Kate on the royal
visit to the city last year, added: 'It can only be good news for
Cambridge. Everyone is so excited about it. The whole country is
waiting for the birth.'
The Dukedom of Cambridge was bestowed upon Prince William by the Queen
on his wedding day, 29 April, 2011.
On 31 December, the Queen declared all the Duke's children would be
princes and princesses, with the style Royal Highness.
A palace spokesman said: 'The royal couple's child will officially be
known as His or Her Royal Highness Prince or Princess [first name] of
Cambridge.'
He said any other children the couple have will also be known by the same title.
In addition, the child will be called after the dukedom of Cambridge,
making them Prince or Princess of Cambridge.
William also received the titles Earl of Strathearn and Baron
Carrickfergus when he married.
These are gifts from the Queen, chosen by her and based on both
historical significance and personal preference.
The Queen is permitted to choose whichever title she wishes to give,
though it cannot be in use by another member of the family or
aristocracy.
It is possible that she chose Cambridge for William and Kate due to
its ancient links with the Royal family.
Speaking to MailOnline, St James's Palace said:
'Cambridge and Strathern have had Royal connections since the
fourteenth century in the peerages of England and Scotland, and were
both available.
'Prince William is descended from the son of George III, who was
created Duke of Cambridge in 1801 through Queen Mary.
'Carrickfergus is a town in Northern Ireland, and Country Antrim's
oldest town, with one of the best-preserved castles in Ireland.'
Anticipation is mounting around the imminent birth, with photographers
already camped out outside St Mary's Hospital.
Once the baby has been safely delivered, Prince William's first call
will be to the Queen on an encrypted phone.
At the same time, the Royal couple's private secretary, Jamie
Lowther-Pinkerton will inform Prime Minister David Cameron and a small
number of other highly-placed individuals, including the Archbishop of
Canterbury.
Back at Buckingham Palace, officials will notify the head of each of
the 54 Commonwealth countries and the First Ministers of Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland.
For the public, an official notice announcing the birth will be placed
in a glass-fronted easel and attached to the gates of the Palace.
What's in a name? The history behind the title of Prince or Princess
of Cambridge
The royal baby will not be the first Prince or Princess of Cambridge.
The last royals to hold the title were Prince George, Princess Augusta
and Princess Mary of Cambridge, the grandchildren of George III, in
the 19th century.
The children were born to Prince Adolphus - the tenth child of King
George III - and his wife Princess Augusta, also known as the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge.
All their children, born in 1819, 1822, 1833 were born His or Her
Royal Highness Prince or Princess of Cambridge.
The title Duke of Cambridge is part of the peerage, a legal system of
largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom.
In modern practice, only members of the Royal Family are granted new
hereditary peerages (the last non-royal hereditary peerages were
created under the Thatcher government)
The ranks of the English peerage are, from highest to lowest, Duke,
Marquess, Earl, Viscount and Baron.
The Dukedom of Cornwall, created in 1337, is always held by eldest
son, and heir apparent, of the monarch, and is currently held by
Prince Charles, with his wife Camilla becoming the Duchess of
Cornwall.
Prince Harry will most likely also be gifted a peerage by the Queen in
the future.
Peerages, like all modern British honours, are created by the British
monarch and take effect when letters patent are affixed with the Great
Seal of the Realm. Her Majesty's Government advises the Sovereign on a
new peerage.
The Great Seal of the Realm, which makes the bestowed title official,
is an ancient seal used to symbolise the Sovereign's approval of
important state documents and legitimatise them.
The wax is melted in a metal mould and pressed into a wax figure that
is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the monarch wishes to
make official.
The British Royal Family has created the Dukedom of Cambridge numerous
times in its history.
It was first used as a designation for Charles Stuart (1660–1661), the
eldest son of James, Duke of York (later King James II).
The first royal family member to have the peerage Duke of Cambridge
bestowed upon him was in James Stuart, son of the Duke of York, in
1664.
James, Duke of Cambridge died young and without heirs, and the title
became extinct. The following two creations of the title had similar
bad luck.
Edgar Stuwart and Charles Stewart, who received the title in 1667 and
1677, respectively, both died young, having neither married or had
children, meaning the title died out for several years.
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