Buckingham Palace announced Tuesday that King Charles had appointed Kate Middleton to a prestigious new title—one that’s a first in the history of the British royal family.
Middleton, the Princess of Wales, was named Royal Companion of The Order of the Companions of Honour, which makes her the first ever Royal Companion named to that order.
The official royal website says the Order of the Companions of Honour is “a special award granted to those who have made a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time.”
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Others to be awarded the honor include luminaries like Winston Churchill, David Attenborough, Stephen Hawking, and Anna Wintour.
The honor was announced Tuesday along with a pair of other notable appointments within the royal family.
That included Queen Camilla being made the Grand Master and First or Principal Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, a role previously held by consorts Prince Philip and Queen Mary.
Prince William was also made Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, a role that was held by Charles until he became King.
The appointments went into effect Tuesday, the palace said.
The appointments provided a sliver of positive news during a tough period in the royal family. Both Kate and Charles are battling cancer, largely removing themselves from the public eye as they each fight the disease.
Charles has substantially reduced his workload, canceling all but a handful of events. Kate battled a wave of conspiracy theories to start the year when she inexplicably disappeared from public life following a surgery, but quieted those rumors by announcing her diagnosis last month.
