A few weeks ago, Richard Eden at the Daily Mail claimed that there had been a sighting, in Norfolk, of Prince William and Carole Middleton having a drink together at a pub. There were no photos, just vibes (and lies). The pub sighting was just one piece of Eden’s column though – he also claimed that the Middletons deserved titles, given that their daughter will one day become queen consort. This is not the first time the Middletons have publicly pushed for titles through one of their favored media figures. It used to happen all the time… before Party Pieces went belly up. But nowadays, given all of the weirdness around the Princess of Wales’s disappearance and the Middletons being exposed as grifters and frauds? It’s an especially weird moment. Well, Hello Magazine sort of bandwagoned on this discussion, and they got their royal expert to pontificate on why the Middletons will probably never get those pesky Earl and Countess of Bucklebury titles.

As parents of a future Queen Consort, and stalwart supporters of the royal family it begs the question: will Carole and Michael Middleton receive official royal titles when their daughter becomes Queen?

HELLO!’s online royal correspondent, Danielle Stacey, has weighed in: “It’s very unlikely that Carole and Michael Middleton will be given titles, despite being the parents of a Queen Consort and this is all down to the rules around peerage titles. A dukedom is a hereditary noble title which is the highest rank of peerage in Britain, and titles can be passed down from a parent or granted by the present reigning monarch. When Kate married Prince William in 2011, Queen Elizabeth II gave them the title of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.”

So while they could be awarded titles, it would be an unprecedented move. According to Woman and Home, Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, the mother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, was awarded titles of the Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne because “her husband inherited it from his father and was a member of the aristocracy,” rather than to reflect her status as a Queen’s mother.

Queen Camilla’s relatives are also titleless. Sadly, her parents passed away in 1994 and 2006, but when it came to her children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, they were never awarded titles. The one exception is Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot who is known as one of ‘the Queen’s Companions’ which are the equivalent to her ‘ladies in waiting’. Kate could appoint her mother and sister as her ‘companions’ but this title would be different to an official royal title or aforementioned peerage honour.

[From Hello]

From what (little) I know of the British peerage system, it would be possible for King Charles to simply “give” certain titles to the Middletons or whoever he wanted. Just as it will be possible for “King William” to give his in-laws titles when the time comes. The mention of Camilla here is interesting though, because it’s sort of a parallel conversation – will Camilla’s Parker-Bowles children ever receive titles? It definitely feels like Tom wants one. And if they open the door for the king’s stepchildren to receive titles, what’s stopping William from demanding the Middletons get an earldom? Granted, I don’t think William cares that much anymore, but if Tom Parker Bowles gets a title, William will throw a fit and demand something for the Middletons out of jealousy. At this point, the monarchy is too invested in whitewashing the Middletons too, and it’s not for Kate’s benefit. They just don’t want to admit that William got honey-trapped by Kate and Carole, and that he married his stalker. The Middletons might get a title simply to cover that up and put a bow on this sh-tshow.

PS… what’s the over-under on Tom Parker Bowles getting a title this year?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.