Yesterday, King Charles III officially named Prince William and Kate Middleton the new prince and princess of the Kingdom of Wales. This is not a surprising move, given that the title is usually bestowed upon the first in the line of succession to the throne (in this case, William), and his wife, Kate, would naturally be a princess alongside him.

Charles was named Prince of Wales by his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in 1958 at age 9. (Prince Charles, now 73, held the title Prince of Wales for 64 years before becoming king on Thursday when his mother died at age 96.

When he married Diana Spencer in 1981, she became Crown Princess; Camilla, who married Charles in 2005, technically became Crown Princess, although the title has not been used since their divorce in 1996 and her death a year later. (Knowing that this title is closely associated with Diana, Princess of Wales, Camilla chose not to use the title of Duchess of Wales publicly and instead used the title of Duchess of Cornwall)

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In other words, we have not had a Prince and Princess of Wales publicly referred to as such for over 25 years, so William and Kate taking on these titles has "great emotional weight," royal expert Gareth Russell, who told Us Weekly magazine noted, especially with Kate using a title that is closely associated with the woman who was once the most famous woman in the world. He said, "Princess Diana made a huge impact around the world with her charisma and fame, as well as her humanitarian and philanthropic work.

Russell says he believes William and Kate will honor Diana's legacy with "true respect" by the new title: "I think it's very touching for many people that the last person to hold [the title of Princess of Wales] was William's mother, and now she's his wife. I think it's very moving for a lot of people. 'Princess Diana had a lot of ...... brought an emotional incidental charisma and ...... because you invest that title with a certain emotional appeal to people.

Just one day into her new role as Princess of Wales, a royal source told PEOPLE, "The new Princess of Wales is grateful for the history surrounding the role, but as she forges her own path, she naturally wants to look to the future She will."