Kate Middleton will be given the title Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge when she marries Britain's Prince William on Friday, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

Queen Elizabeth made her grandson William the Duke of Cambridge to mark the marriage of the second-in-line to the throne. Being a duke is the highest rank below that of monarch in the British nobility.

William, 28, will also have the additional title Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.

The monarch traditionally awards honours to members of the royal family on their wedding day. William's uncles were both given titles. Prince Andrew became the Duke of York and Prince Edward was made Earl of Wessex when he married.

It had been expected that William would be awarded the Cambridge title, since there were some negative links with other vacant royal dukedoms and the queen heightened speculation with a visit to Cambridge this week.

There have been royal connections with Cambridge since medieval times and the Dukedom was bestowed on the future George II in 1706. However, the title became extinct in 1904.

Strathearn, a Scottish title, has had royal connections since 1357, and is a nod to the fact the couple met at St Andrews University on Scotland's east coast.

Carrickfergus, the oldest town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland and boasting one of the best-preserved castles in Ireland, has not had a barony since 1883.-Reuters