What Would Happen If Kate Middleton And Prince William Got A Divorce?

It was the royal wedding everyone had been waiting for — Prince William and Kate Middleton. The future king of England tied the knot with Kate in April 2011 at the iconic landmark, Westminster Abbey. Over the next decade, the couple would go on to welcome three children and take on the role of being England's future. In April 2023, the couple celebrated their 12th anniversary, sharing a loving snap of the two on social media. They wrote in the caption, "12 years," with an emoji of a heart, showing the love is still there. However, as picture-perfect as their marriage may seem, it hasn't always been easy.

The rumors and gossip that surround their marriage have made many question whether Prince William and Kate are as happy as they seem. For one, you have the affair speculation that surrounded the prince and Kate's former friend, Rose Hanbury. Despite Hanbury denying the affair, it hasn't stopped people from believing it happened and made people question Kate and William's marriage. Of course, you also have the constant speculation that Kate and William's relationship is strained. In 2022, an article was mistakenly published announcing the couple was splitting. Although it was untrue, it had conversation sparking about a potential divorce between Kate and William. So, what would happen if the royal couple split? Well, we're here to spill the tea on the aftermath that could unfold if Kate and William were to ever call it quits.

As long as King Charles remains the monarch, he would actually oversee custody matters in regards to Prince William and Kate Middleton's kids should they ever divorce. According to royal expert, Marlene Koenig, she revealed to news.com.au that the reason King Charles would have a say in the custody of Prince William and Kate's three kids is because of an old royal rule. She explained, "This goes back to King George I [who ruled in the early 1700s], and the law's never been changed. He did it because he had a very poor relationship with his son, the future King George II, so they had this law passed that meant the king was the guardian of his grandchildren."

Despite the reigning monarch having control over his grandchildren, Koeing suggested that Charles is very understanding about Prince William and Prince Harry's want to parent their kids on their own terms. YourTango explained that in past royal public divorces, like King Charles and Princess Diana and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Queen Elizabeth II allowed them to delegate how they would go about co-parenting their kids. So, they believe that Prince William and Kate Middleton would be given the same grace.

After a breakup, you might want to pack your bags and start a new life in a different city or maybe even a different country. However, Kate Middleton wouldn't really have this option if she were to split from Prince William. It doesn't seem likely that the Princess of Wales would leave the U.K completely if she and William got a divorce – she was born and raised in England. But if she wanted to make a move to the U.S. or Spain or wherever her heart desired, she would have to get the permission of King Charles.

According to Showbiz Cheatsheet, Kate would need permission to move because of her and Prince William's three kids. As we previously mentioned, the couple has welcomed three children throughout their marriage, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, which King Charles technically has custody over. Should Kate want to get up and move, she would need to get King Charles' permission, as Princess Diana had to get the approval of the late Queen Elizabeth II for any travel purposes. Prince George is the future of the monarchy and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are heirs to the throne. So, it makes sense that Kate wouldn't be able to just get up and leave with Prince William's kids, especially with how important they are to the country.

Kate Middleton has lived an incredibly lavish life even before she married Prince William. Her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, created the widely successful business, Party Pieces, when Kate was merely five years old. The business allowed the Middletons to live a life of luxury, so if she were to call it quits with Prince William, she wouldn't be left with financial woes. Even with her family's money to fall back on, it's expected that Kate would still receive some sort of compensation from Prince William.

The amount an ex of a royal receives is dependent on how long they have been married. When King Charles and Princess Diana divorced, The Independent reported that she received a whopping 17 million in British pounds. In her settlement, she also earned an additional 400,000 in British pounds every year. Princess Diana and King Charles were married for 15 yearsbefore they called it quits. As of this writing, in 2024, Kate Middleton and Prince William have only been married for 13 years. Being just shy of the 15 years that Diana and Charles were married, Kate would likely receive less than the late Princess of Wales.

Kate Middleton has held a lot of titles over the years. When she married Prince William in 2011, she earned the title of Her Royal Highness. In her time being a part of the royal family, she's held three duchess title — Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, and Duchess of Cambridge. This is just the duchess title alone; don't get us started on everything else she has earned since becoming a part of the royal family because the list can go on and on. But if Kate were to divorce William, her titles can change, or even worse, be completely taken away.

According to SheKnows (via Yahoo), King Charles would oversee what Kate's titles would be after she divorced Prince William. When Charles and Princess Diana divorced, it was up to the late Queen Elizabeth II to determine whether Diana would keep the title of princess. Despite Charles' pushback to strip her of her titles, Elizabeth allowed Diana to keep princess but did not allow her to keep Her Royal Highness, which is typically given to those who marry into the royal family. Since Queen Elizabeth set this precedent, the outlet believes that if Kate were to divorce William, Charles would be just as gracious as his mom and allow her to keep the titles she has earned.

Lucky for Prince William, if he were to ever divorce Kate Middleton, remarrying has become a bit easier. For centuries, divorce was frowned upon among the royal family. King Edward had to abdicate the throne to marry his true love, a divorcee, and in a truly tragic moment in Princess Margaret's life, Queen Elizabeth II even forbade her sister from marrying a divorced man. Divorce and the royal family were not a thing. However, in 2002, things began to change after the Church of England allowed people to remarry after a divorce.

A couple of years after his divorce from Princess Diana, Prince Charles wound up marrying Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. Even though remarrying was acceptable, it still seemed to be frowned upon. So instead of having a big religious ceremony, Charles and Camilla opted for an intimate civil ceremony.

So, if Prince William and Kate did divorce, William would be able to remarry although it may still be looked down on. And if Prince William chose not to remarry or was single when he ascended the throne, he would still be able to rule. According to the New York Times, four monarchs never tied the knot and 13 married after they had taken the throne. Prince William will certainly have options if he were to ever call it quits with Kate, but royal fanatics are hoping they never have to see that happen.