The Prince of Wales appointed Great Master of the Order of the Bath, following his father’s legacy
Prince William has been officially granted a new royal title once held by his father, King Charles III. During a rare and ceremonial service at Westminster Abbey on Friday, May 16, King Charles appointed the Prince of Wales as the Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, as reported by GB News.
The prestigious appointment came during the Order’s 300th anniversary celebrations—marking a symbolic moment in royal tradition, as both monarch and heir participated in the time-honoured ritual.
Founded in 1725, the Order of the Bath recognises senior military leaders and high-ranking civil servants. Its name is derived from a medieval ceremony in which candidates would symbolically cleanse themselves in a ritual bath before being knighted.
This was King Charles’s first time presiding over the event as Sovereign. He had served as Great Master himself from 1975, having been appointed by Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 26. Upon his accession to the throne in 2022, the title passed to Prince William—who, as the heir, now assumes the traditional responsibilities of the role.
While the monarch attends the service every eight years, the Great Master is expected to be present at every four-year ceremony. Prince William’s presence and participation signal his growing stature within the royal fold and his deepening ceremonial duties.
The father-son duo joined a formal procession alongside fellow Knights and Dames Grand Cross, taking their places in the Quire for oath-taking before leading the procession to the Henry VII Lady Chapel, where new Knights were formally installed.
The event not only marked a key milestone for the Order but also highlighted the continuity and evolving roles within the modern monarchy.
