by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Yes, the children of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are entitled to be HRH Prince/Princess now that their paternal grandfather is King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Why would they be entitled to be HRH Prince/Princess?

In 1917, King George V issued Letters Patent changing the rights to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. The children of the Sovereign, the children of the sons of the Sovereign, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would be entitled to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. Under the 1917 Letters Patent, Prince Harry’s children Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex are entitled to the style and title His/Her Royal Highness Prince/Princess, now that their paternal grandfather has succeeded to the throne. Prince Harry’s children are now male-line grandchildren of the Sovereign. Of course, King Charles III or any other sovereign can change this.

Although Letters Patent, Warrants, and Proclamations are sometimes issued when titles and styles are changed, it is not necessary. Royal styles and titles are a matter of royal prerogative. At the Sovereign’s will and pleasure, styles and titles can be changed as the Sovereign pleases. Exceptions to the rule can be made by the Sovereign. For instance, in 2012, Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent declaring that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have the title Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness. This meant that all the children of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge would be HRH Prince/Princess not just his eldest son.

Which current members of the British Royal Family are HRH Prince/Princess because they are male-line grandchildren of a Sovereign?

• Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester – son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and grandson of King George V
• Prince Edward, Duke of Kent – son of Prince George, Duke of Kent and grandson of King George V
• Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy – daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent and granddaughter of King George V
• Prince Michael of Kent – son of Prince George, Duke of Kent and grandson of King George V
• Prince William, Duke of Cambridge – son of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II
• Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex – son of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II
• Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi – daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II
• Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank – daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II
• Prince Archie of Sussex – son of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
• Princess Lilibet of Sussex – daughter of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

Why are the children of Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest child, not HRH Prince/Princess?

At the time of the wedding of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest child, and Sophie Rhys-Jones, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had decided, in agreement with the wishes of Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones, that any children of their marriage would not be given the style Royal Highness and the title Prince or Princess. Instead, any children would have courtesy titles of sons or daughters of an Earl. No Letters Patent was issued. However, royal styles and titles are a matter of royal prerogative. At the Sovereign’s will and pleasure, styles and titles can be changed as the Sovereign pleases. Prince Edward’s son James is styled Viscount Severn (one of his father’s subsidiary titles) and his daughter is styled Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could make a similar decision regarding their children.

Are the children of Prince Harry entitled to any other titles?

Archie is the heir apparent to his father’s Dukedom of Sussex, Earldom of Dumbarton, and Barony of Kilkeel. It is customary that a peer’s heir apparent use one of their parent’s subsidiary titles as a courtesy title. In this case, the courtesy title would be Earl of Dumbarton. Although Archie was entitled to use one of Prince Harry’s subsidiary titles, and their daughter Lilibet was entitled to be styled in the manner of a daughter of a Duke: Lady <first name> Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided not to do so. As of March 2023, their children use the styles and titles HRH Prince Archie of Sussex and HRH Princess Lilibet of Sussex.

• Unofficial Royalty: British Royal Titles and Styles
• Unofficial Royalty: House of Windsor Index

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

• Unofficial Royalty: British Royal Titles and Styles

Princess Royal is a title usually granted to the eldest daughter of the Sovereign when the previous Princess Royal is no longer living. The title Princess Royal is not created by Letters Patent but is granted by a warrant through the College of Arms.  When and if an eligible princess is created Princess Royal is at the discretion of the Sovereign.

The holder of the title is styled Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. The current Princess Royal is Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II. The next possible Princess Royal is Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. She could become Princess Royal after Anne’s death, providing her father Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is King.

History

      
The seven women who have been Princess Royal: Mary, Anne, Charlotte, Victoria, Louise. Mary, and Anne; Credit – Wikipedia

During the reign of King Henri IV of France, his eldest daughter Elisabeth was known as Madame Royale before her marriage, indicating her status as the eldest and most senior unmarried daughter of the king. After Elisabeth’s marriage, her next sister Christine became Madame Royale. When Christine married, her younger sister Henrietta Maria became Madame Royale.

In 1625, Henrietta Maria of France married King Charles I of England. She wanted to imitate the way the eldest unmarried daughter of the King of France was styled Madame Royale and so her eldest daughter Mary was created Princess Royal in 1642. In the English version, the holders retain the title for life so an eligible princess cannot receive the title during the lifetime of another Princess Royal. Queen Elizabeth II could have been created Princess Royal but her aunt Mary, Princess Royal lived until 1965, thirteen years into her niece’s reign.

The Princesses Royal

Name	Years Princess Royal	Parent	Husband
Mary, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange (1631 – 1660)	1642 – 1660	King Charles I	Willem II, Prince of Orange
Anne, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange (1709 – 1759)	1727 – 1759	King George II	Willem IV, Prince of Orange
Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg (1766 – 1828)	1789 – 1828	King George III	Friedrich I, King of Württemberg
Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress (1840 – 1901)	1841 – 1901	Queen Victoria	Friedrich III, German Emperor
Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife (1867- 1931)	1905 – 1931	King Edward VII	Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife
Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood (1897 – 1965)	1932 – 1965	King George V	Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood
Anne, Princess Royal (born 1950)	1987 – present	Queen Elizabeth II	Mark Phillips Timothy Laurence

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

                 
(Prior to the accession of King Charles III in September 2022) – Coronet of the Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay; Coronet of the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex; Coronet of the late Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of York; Coronet of the Duke of Gloucester and Duke of Kent; Credit – By SodacanThis W3C-unspecified vector image was created with Inkscape. – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10963941

Duke is the highest title in the British peerage. A royal duke is a member of the British royal family, who is entitled to the style and title of His Royal Highness Prince <First Name> and who also has been created a duke. Usually, royal dukedoms are created when a Sovereign’s son or a Sovereign’s male-line grandson reaches the age of majority or marries.

Royal dukes are created by a Letters Patent from the Sovereign. All Letters Patent for royal dukes have followed the one below for the Duke of Edinburgh created by King George VI.

The KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm, bearing date the 20th of November 1947, to confer the dignity of a Duke of the United Kingdom upon Lieutenant His Royal Highness Sir Philip Mountbatten, K.G., R.N., and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style and title of BARON GREENWICH, of Greenwich in the County of London, EARL OF MERIONETH, and DUKE OF EDINBURGH.

The phrase “the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten” means that the eldest surviving son of a lawful marriage shall inherit the title. Heirs of peerages use a subsidiary title of the title holder as a courtesy title. For instance, the heir of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester uses the subsidiary title Earl of Ulster as a courtesy title. Heirs that are HRH Prince do not use subsidiary titles. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the son of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is the heir apparent to his father’s Dukedom of Sussex, Earldom of Dumbarton, and Barony of Kilkeel. Earl of Dumbarton would be the courtesy title. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex instead decided that their son would be styled as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor in accordance with their wish that he should live his life as a private citizen.  (This changed following the accession of King Charles III, when Archie became Prince Archie of Sussex, as a male-line grandchild of the Sovereign.)

The Dukedoms of Gloucester and Kent are now in their second generation. The heirs to these dukedoms are great-grandsons of a Sovereign and are not entitled to the style and title of HRH Prince. Instead, they are styled with their fathers’ senior subsidiary title. When they inherit the dukedom from their royal fathers, it will cease to be a royal dukedom.

The heirs of the current royal dukes are

• Duke of Cambridge: Prince George of Wales
• Duke of Sussex: Prince Archie of Sussex
• Duke of York: no male heir
• Duke of Gloucester: Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
• Duke of Kent: George Windsor, Earl of St. Andrews
• Duke of Edinburgh: James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex

Current Royal Dukes

Dukedom	Name	Year Created	Subsidiary Titles
Duke of Cambridge	Prince William, The Prince of Wales	2011	Earl of Strathearn Baron Carrickfergus
Duke of Sussex	Prince Harry	2018	Earl of Dumbarton Baron Kilkeel
Duke of York	Prince Andrew	1986	Earl of Inverness Baron Killyleagh
Duke of Gloucester	Prince Richard	1928, for his father Prince Henry, son of King George V	Earl of Ulster Baron Culloden
Duke of Kent	Prince Edward	1934, for his father Prince George, son of King George V	Earl of St Andrews Baron Downpatrick
Duke of Edinburgh	Prince Edward	2023	Earl of Wessex Earl of Forfar Viscount Severn

Royal dukes are styled HRH The Duke of (X) and their wives are styled HRH The Duchess of (X). The royal eldest son of a royal duke does not use the subsidiary title of his father as is the practice in dukes of the British peerage. All royal children of a royal duke are styled HRH Prince/Princess <First Name> of (X).

On his wedding day in 1999, Prince Edward, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II, was created Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn, breaking with the tradition of a dukedom being granted to the son of the Sovereign upon marriage. However, it was announced that Prince Edward will eventually be granted the Dukedom of Edinburgh, his late father’s title, at such time when it has reverted back to the Crown. In 2019, on the Earl of Wessex’s 55th birthday, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had granted him another title, Earl of Forfar, named after Forfar, a town in Angus, Scotland. When in Scotland, Edward and his wife Sophie will be known as TRH The Earl and Countess of Forfar. On March 10, 2023, Prince Edward was created Duke of Edinburgh by King Charles III.

At the time of the wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had decided, in agreement with the wishes of the couple, that any children of their marriage would not use the style Royal Highness and the title Prince or Princess. Instead, any children would have courtesy titles of sons and daughters of an Earl. While the parents were styled HRH The Earl of Wessex and HRH The Countess of Wessex, their daughter was and still is styled The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and their son was styled Viscount Severn, his father’s subsidiary title. Upon their father being created Duke of Edinburgh, James will now use his father’s highest subsidiary title and will be styled James, Earl of Wessex.

Duke of Cornwall is a secondary title of the Sovereign’s eldest living son in England and Duke of Rothesay is a secondary title of the Sovereign’s eldest son and heir apparent in Scotland. Both titles are currently held by William, The Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King Charles III. They are automatic titles and when King Charles III succeeded to the throne his eldest son William automatically become Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay. See the articles Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay for a list of those dukes.

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History

After the Norman Conquest in 1066, monarchs began to bestow peerages on their sons almost immediately. Prior to King Edward III, Earl was the title bestowed unless the title was foreign such as Duke of Normandy or Count of Poitiers.  Through the years, grandsons, brothers, and other male relatives of Sovereigns have also been created peers but the list below only includes sons of Sovereigns.

• William I sons: Duke of Normandy (French)
• Henry I sons: legitimate son had no title, illegitimate sons were Earl of Gloucester, Earl of Cornwall
• Stephen sons: no English titles, Count of Boulogne
• Henry II sons: no English titles; William: Count of Poitiers; Henry: the Young King; Richard:
• Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Poitiers, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany; Geoffrey: Duke of Brittany; John: Lord of Ireland
• John sons: Earl of Cornwall
• Henry III sons: Earl of Lancaster, Earl of Leicester
• Edward I sons: Earl of Cornwall, Earl of Chester, Earl of Norfolk, Earl of Kent
• Edward II sons: Earl of Cornwall
• Edward III sons: Duke of Clarence, Duke of Lancaster, Duke of York, Duke of Gloucester
• Henry IV sons: Duke of Clarence, Duke of Bedford, Duke of Gloucester
• Edward IV sons: Duke of York, Duke of Bedford
• Richard III son: Earl of Salisbury
• Henry VII son: Duke of York
• Henry VIII: illegitimate son Duke of Richmond
• James I sons: Duke of Kintyre (Scottish title)
• Charles I sons: Duke of York (James II), Duke of Gloucester
• Charles II illegitimate sons: Duke of Monmouth, Duke of Southampton, Duke of Cleveland, Duke of Grafton, Duke of Northumberland, Duke of Richmond and Duke of Lennox
• James II’s sons: Duke of Cambridge (four sons), Duke of Kendal, Duke of Berwick (illegitimate son), Duke of Albemarle (illegitimate son)
• Anne’s son: Duke of Gloucester
• George I son: Duke of Cambridge
• George II son: Duke of Cumberland
• George III sons: Duke of York, Duke of Albany, Duke of Clarence, Duke of St. Andrews, Duke of Kent, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, Duke of Sussex, Duke of Cambridge
• William IV illegitimate sons: Earl of Munster (only eldest son had a title; others were styled as Lord)
• Victoria sons: Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Connaught, Duke of Albany
• Edward VII sons: Duke of Clarence and Avondale, Duke of York
• George V sons: Duke of York, Duke of Gloucester, Duke of Kent, Duke of Windsor
• Elizabeth II sons: Duke of York, Earl of Wessex
• Charles III sons: Duke of Cambridge, Duke of Sussex

Beginning with King George I and the House of Hanover the use of royal duke titles became more consistent. Below is a list of royal dukes since 1707.

Name	Royal Lineage	Royal Dukedom(s)
George, later King George II	only son of King George I	Duke of Cambridge
Frederick, Prince of Wales	1st son of King George II	Duke of Edinburgh
William Augustus	3rd son of King George II	Duke of Cumberland
George, later King George III	1st son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, grandson of King George II	Duke of Edinburgh
Edward Augustus	2nd son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, grandson of King George II	Duke of York and Albany
William Henry	3rd son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, grandson of King George II	Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Henry Frederick	4th son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, grandson of King George II	Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn
Frederick	2nd son of King George III	Duke of York and Albany
William, later King William IV	3rd son of King George III	Duke of Clarence and St Andrews
Edward	4th son of King George III	Duke of Kent and Strathearn
Ernest Augustus, later King of Hanover	5th son of King George III	Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale
Augustus	6th son of King George III	Duke of Sussex
Adolphus	7th son of King George III	Duke of Cambridge
William Frederick	only son of William Henry, great-grandson of King George II	Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
George, later George V, King of Hanover	only son of Ernest Augustus, grandson of King George III	Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale
George	only son of Adolphus, grandson of King George III	Duke of Cambridge
Alfred	2nd son of Queen Victoria	Duke of Edinburgh
Arthur	3rd son of Queen Victoria	Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Leopold	4th son of Queen Victoria	Duke of Albany
Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick	only son of George V, King of Hanover, great-grandson of King George III	Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, deprived of British titles by the Titles Deprivation Act
Albert Victor	1st son of King Edward VII	Duke of Clarence and Avondale
George, later King George V	2nd son of King Edward VII	Duke of York
Carl Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	only son of Leopold, grandson of Queen Victoria	Duke of Albany, deprived of British titles by the Titles Deprivation Act
Albert, later King George VI	2nd son of King George V	Duke of York
Henry	3rd son of King George V	Duke of Gloucester
George	4th son of King George V	Duke of Kent
Alastair	only son of Prince Arthur of Connaught, grandson of Arthur, Duke of Connaught, great-grandson of Queen Victoria	Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Philip, born Prince of Greece and Denmark	husband of Queen Elizabeth II, female-line great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria	Duke of Edinburgh
Richard	2nd son of Henry, grandson of King George V	Duke of Gloucester
Edward	1st son of George, grandson of King George V	Duke of Kent
Andrew	2nd son of Queen Elizabeth II	Duke of York
Edward	3rd son of Queen Elizabeth II	Earl of Wessex
William	1st son of King Charles III, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II	Duke of Cambridge
Harry	2nd son of King Charles III, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II	Duke of Sussex
Edward	3rd son of Queen Elizabeth II, brother of King Charles III	Duke of Edinburgh

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland are titles that were held by the eldest living son who was also the heir apparent of the Stewart Kings of Scots. When Henry Frederick, the eldest son of James VI, King of Scots, was born at Stirling Castle in 1594, he automatically received those titles as the eldest living son and heir apparent of the King of Scots. In 1603, James VI, a double great-great-grandson of King Henry VII of England, succeeded Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, as King James I of England.

His eldest son Henry Frederick was then not only heir to the throne of Scotland but also heir to the throne of England and then also held the English titles Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, and Duke of Cornwall. All those Scottish titles came along to England and now they are titles automatically bestowed upon the eldest living son of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Sadly, Henry Frederick died from typhoid fever when he was just 18-years-old. His brother, the ill-fated, future King Charles I, became the heir apparent.

Duke of Rothesay

The title Duke of Rothesay was first created in 1398 for David Stewart, the eldest son and the heir apparent of Robert III, King of Scots. David died in 1402 and two years later, his brother James, the future James I, King of Scots, was created Duke of Rothesay. It appears that until 1469, the eldest sons of the King of Scots who were also their heirs apparent were created Duke of Rothesay.

In 1469, the Parliament of Scotland passed an act that governs the succession to the titles held by the eldest son of the King of Scots who is also the heir apparent. This act made succession to the titles automatic for the eldest son of the King of Scots who is also the heir apparent. After the union of Scotland and England in 1707, the titles Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland became automatic titles for the British Sovereign’s eldest son who was also the heir apparent. This practice continued with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Today, when the heir apparent of the United Kingdom is visiting Scotland, it is mandated that he and his wife use the titles Duke of Rothesay and Duchess of Rothesay.

Someday in the future, it is likely that there will be a female heir apparent to the British throne. The Succession to The Crown Act 2013, which formally went into effect on March 26, 2015, put in place absolute primogeniture, which means that for those born after October 28, 2011, the eldest child born becomes the heir to his or her parent, regardless of gender.

The Duke of Rothesay, just like the English title Duke of Cornwall, still relies on legislation hundreds of years old to determine the rights of the Duke of Rothesay. Like the Duke of Cornwall charter of 1337, the 1496 Act of the Parliament of Scotland makes it clear that the Duke of Rothesay must be the eldest son of the Sovereign who is also the heir apparent. Therefore, to have a Duchess of Rothesay, there must be legislation to change the original act.

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Earl of Carrick

The use of Earl of Carrick by Kings of Scots predates the Stewart Kings of Scots. Marjorie, the mother of the Scottish national hero Robert the Bruce who acceded to the Scottish throne in 1306 as Robert I, King of Scots, was the Countess of Carrick in her own right. In 1292, Marjorie, Countess of Carrick died and the Earldom of Carrick devolved upon her eldest son, Robert the Bruce. After a string of Bruces and Stewarts (note that the first Stewart king was the grandson of Robert the Bruce) were Earls of Carrick, the title finally settled in the royal Stewarts for good and came along with James VI, King of Scots’ son Henry Frederick to England.

Bruce Earls of Carrick

• Robert the Bruce, Robert I, King of Scots: held the title from 1292 – 1314, then granted the title to his brother Edward
• Edward Bruce, brother of Robert the Bruce: held the title from 1314 – 1318, died in battle without legitimate issue in 1318, title reverted to the crown
• David Bruce, son of Robert the Bruce, Robert I, King of Scots: held the title from 1328–1330, became David II, King of Scots in 1329, granted the title to Alexander Bruce, the illegitimate son of his uncle Edward Bruce
• Alexander Bruce, illegitimate son of Edward Bruce: held the title from 1330 – 1333, died in battle in 1333, title reverted to the crown

Stewart Earls of Carrick

• John Stewart, son of Robert II, King of Scots, the first Stewart King of Scots, and also great-grandson of Robert I, King of Scots: granted the title by his great uncle David II, King of Scots in 1368, became Robert III, King of Scots in 1390
• David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, eldest son of Robert III, King of Scots: granted the title by his father, held the title from 1390–1402, died without children, title reverted to the crown
• James Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, second son of Robert III, King of Scots: granted the title by his father in 1404, became James I, King of Scots in 1406

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Baron of Renfrew

In 1404, the future James I, King of Scots was created Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Baron of Renfrew by his father Robert III, King of Scots. Renfrew is a town close to Glasgow, Scotland, closely related to the early Stewarts. In the late 1800s, when The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, wanted to travel incognito, he used the name Lord Renfrew.

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Lord of the Isles

The Lord of the Isles title goes back to the Viking and Gaelic rulers of the west coast and islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages, who were vassals of the Kings of Norway, Ireland, or Scotland. During the period of the Stewart Kings of Scots, the predominant Scottish Lord of the Isles family was the MacDonalds. John MacDonald II, 4th Lord of the Isles, wanted to become an independent ruler and made a secret treaty in 1462 with King Edward IV of England.

In 1475, James III, King of Scots discovered what MacDonald had done and the Lordship was forfeited. MacDonald later regained the Lordship but James IV, King of Scots again deprived him of his titles in 1493 after his nephew provoked a rebellion. In 1540 James V, King of Scots granted the Lord of the Isles title to the heirs apparent of the throne of Scotland.

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Prince of Scotland

The title of Prince of Scotland was intended to be used in much the same way the title Prince of Wales was used to designate the heir apparent to the English throne, although the Scottish heir apparent was usually addressed only as Duke of Rothesay.

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Great Steward of Scotland

The title of High Steward or Great Steward is an officer who controls the domestic affairs of the royal household. David I, King of Scots gave the title to Walter Fitz-Alan around 1150. His descendants adopted Steward or Stewart as a surname and then became the name of Scotland’s last royal house.

In 1315, Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I, King of Scots (Robert the Bruce) married Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland in 1315. On March 2, 1316, Marjorie, who was pregnant, was riding in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Her horse was suddenly startled and threw her to the ground. Marjorie went into premature labor and her child Robert was delivered by cesarean section at Paisley Abbey. Marjorie died within a few hours. She was 19 years old at the time of her death, like her mother, who was the same age when she died in childbirth delivering Marjorie, and like her mother, was also buried at Paisley Abbey. Her son became Robert II, King of Scots, the first King of Scots of the House of Stewart. Marjorie’s descendants include the House of Stewart, all their successors on the thrones of Scotland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, and many other European royal families.

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Dukes of Rothesay

Until Queen Anne’s reign, the Stuart Kings and Queens of England were also King and Queens of Scots. In 1707, during the reign of Queen Anne, England and Scotland were formally united into Great Britain by the Acts of Union 1707. The sovereign then was King or Queen of Great Britain. In 1800, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was created by the Acts of Union 1800 and King George III went from being titled King of Great Britain to King of the United Kingdom.

(Years after the names are birth and death years, names in bold became King)

Duke of Rothesay	Parent	Other titles
David Stewart (1378 – 1402)	Robert III, King of Scots	Earl of Atholl, Earl of Carrick (never became King)
James Stewart (1394  – 1437)	Robert III, King of Scots	James I, King of Scots, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew
Alexander Stewart (born & died 1430), twin of James, below	James I, King of Scots	No other titles (never became King)
James Stewart (1430 – 1460)	James I, King of Scots	James II, King of Scots
James Stewart (1452 – 1488	James II, King of Scots	James III, King of Scots
James Stewart (1473 – 1513)	James III, King of Scots	James IV, King of Scots, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
James Stewart (1507 – 1508	James IV, King of Scots	Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (never became King)
Arthur Stewart (1509 – 1510)	James IV, King of Scots	Duke of Albany, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (never became King)
James Stewart (1512 – 1542)	James IV, King of Scots	James V, King of Scots, Duke of Albany, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
James Stewart (1566 – 1625)	Mary, Queen of Scots	James VI, King of Scots, James I, King of England, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
Henry Frederick Stuart (1594 – 1612)	James VI, King of Scots, James I, King of England	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (never became King)
Charles Stuart (1600 – 1649)	James VI, King of Scots, James I, King of England	Charles I, King of England and King of Scots, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Albany, Duke of York, Marquess of Ormond, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
Charles James Stuart (born & died 1629)	Charles I, King of England and King of Scots	Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (never became King)
Charles Stuart (1630 –  1685)	Charles I, King of England and King of Scots	Charles II, King of England and King of Scots, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
James Francis Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender (1688 – 1766)	James II, King of England and James VII, King of Scots	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (never became King)
Prince George (1683 – 1760)	George II, King of Great Britain	George II, King of Great Britain, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Hereditary Prince of Hanover, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Cambridge, Marquess of Cambridge, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton, Baron Tewkesbury
Prince Frederick (1707 – 1751)	George II, King of Great Britain	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Edinburgh, Marquess of Ely, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Earl of Eltham, Viscount Launceston, Baron Snowdon (never became King)
Prince George (1762 – 1830)	George III, King of the United Kingdom	George IV, King of the United Kingdom, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
Prince Albert Edward (1841 – 1910)	Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom	Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Earl of Dublin
Prince George (1865 – 1936)	Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom	George V, King of the United Kingdom, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, Baron Killarney
Prince Edward (1894 – 1972)	George V, King of the United Kingdom	Duke of Windsor, Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
Prince Charles (born 1948)	Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom	Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
Prince William (born 1982)	Charles III, King of the United Kingdom	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland

 

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

History

Cornwall is a county in southwest England in the United Kingdom. Originally an Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Cornwall became part of the separate Kingdom of Dumnonia and eventually, it became part of the Kingdom of England. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, the new rulers of England felt it was important to create men they could trust as Earls of Cornwall and so quite a few Earls of Cornwall were sons of Kings, both legitimate and illegitimate, and other relatives of Kings of England.

Earls of Cornwall

• Brian de Bretagne (circa 1040-1084), a Norman noble who fought for William I of England (the Conqueror)
• Robert, Count of Mortain (circa 1038–1095), half-brother of William I of England
• William, Count of Mortain (1084–1140), son of Robert, Count of Mortain
• Alain de Bretagne (died 1146), nephew of Brian de Bretagne
• Reginald de Dunstanville (circa 1110 – 1175), illegitimate son of King Henry I of England
• John de Dunstanville (died after 1175), son of Reginald de Dunstanville
• Baldwin de Redvers (circa 1160 – 1188), nephew of Reginald de Dunstanville
• Henry FitzCount (circa 1175–1222), uncle of Reginald de Dunstanville
• Richard, Earl of Cornwall (1209–1272), second son of King John of England
• Edmund, Earl of Cornwall (1249–1300), son of Richard, Earl of Cornwall
• Piers Gaveston, (1284–1312), a favorite of King Edward II of England
• John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall (1316–1336), second son of King Edward II of England

To provide financial support for the heir to the throne, on March 17, 1337, the Earldom of Cornwall was made into the Duchy of Cornwall via the Royal Great Charter by King Edward III of England for his son, Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince), who became the first Duke of Cornwall. By the terms of the charter, the eldest surviving son of the reigning British Sovereign, if he is the heir apparent, automatically inherits possession of the Duchy of Cornwall and title of Duke of Cornwall at birth or when his parent succeeds to the throne. The charter can be seen in English at the link below followed by the original charter in Latin, its original language:

• legislation.gov.uk: A Charter of 1337

Specifics about the Duchy of Cornwall

There has not always been a Duke of Cornwall because the heir to the throne is not always the eldest surviving son of the Sovereign. Also, someday in the future, it is likely that there will be a female heir apparent to the British throne. The Succession to The Crown Act 2013, which formally went into effect on March 26, 2015, put in place absolute primogeniture, which means that for those born after October 28, 2011, the eldest child born becomes the heir to his or her parent, regardless of gender

The rights of the Duke of Cornwall still rely on medieval legislation and the 1337 charter is clear that the Duke of Cornwall must be the eldest living son of the Sovereign. Therefore, to have a Duchess of Cornwall who has rights to the Duchy of Cornwall, there must be legislation to change the original charter.

Today, the Duchy of Cornwall manages landholdings of 135,000 acres in 23 counties in England and Wales. The principal activity of the Duchy is the sustainable, commercial management of its land and properties. The duchy also has a portfolio of financial investments. The income of the Duchy of Cornwall can be used by the Duke of Cornwall. While the Duke of Cornwall can use the income from the Duchy, he does not have the Duchy’s outright ownership and cannot sell any of its assets.

• Official Website: The Duchy of Cornwall

When the Sovereign has no son or the heir apparent is not the eldest living son of the Sovereign, the Duchy of Cornwall reverts to The Crown. The Sovereign Grant Act 2011 instituted some changes regarding the Duchy’s income. When the Duchy of Cornwall is vested in The Crown for any period in a financial year, the amount of the Sovereign Grant, the payment which is paid annually to the Sovereign by the government to fund the Sovereign’s official duties, is reduced by an amount equal to the income of the Duchy of Cornwall for the relevant period. Also, the Treasury will pay a grant to any person who is the heir to the throne in the relevant period. If the heir to the throne is 18 years old or older, the grant paid will be equal to the amount by which the Sovereign Grant is reduced for that period. If the heir to the throne is under 18 years old, the grant paid will be equal to 10% of the amount by which the Sovereign Grant is reduced for that period.

• legislation.giv.uk: Text of Sovereign Grant Act 2011 relating to Duchy of Cornwall income and the grant to the heir to the throne

Dukes of Cornwall

(Years after the names are birth and death years, names in bold became King)

Duke of Cornwall	Parent	Other titles held
Edward of Woodstock, The Black Prince (1330 – 1376)	King Edward III	Prince of Wales, Prince of Aquitaine, Earl of Chester (never became King)
Henry of Monmouth (1386 – 1422)	King Henry IV	King Henry V, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Lancaster
Henry (1421 – 1471)	King Henry V	King Henry VI, Duke of Aquitaine
Edward of Westminster (1453- 1471)	King Henry VI	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester (never became King)
Edward of York (1470 – circa 1483)	King Edward IV	King Edward V, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Earl of March, Earl of Pembroke
Edward of Middleham (1473 – 1484)	King Richard III	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Earl of Salisbury  (never became King)
Arthur Tudor (1486 – 1502)	King Henry VII	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester (never became King)
Henry Tudor (1491 – 1547)	King Henry VII	King Henry VIII, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester,  Duke of York
Henry Tudor (born & died 1511)	King Henry VIII	No other titles, (never became King)
Henry Tudor (born & died 1513)	King Henry VIII	No other titles, (never became King)
Edward Tudor (1537 – 1553)	King Henry VIII	King Edward VI, Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester
Henry Frederick Stuart (1594 – 1612)	King James I	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (never became King)
Charles Stuart (1600 – 1649)	King James I	King Charles I, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Duke of Albany, Duke of York, Marquess of Ormond, Earl of Ross, Lord Ardmannoch
Charles James Stuart (born & died 1629)	King Charles I	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (never became King)
Charles Stuart (1630 – 1685)	King Charles I	King Charles II, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
James Francis Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender (1688 – 1766)	King James II	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (father deposed, never became King)
Prince George (1683 – 1760)	King George I	King George II, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Hereditary Prince of Hanover, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Duke of Cambridge, Marquess of Cambridge, Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton, Baron Tewkesbury
Prince Frederick (1707 – 1751)	King George II	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Duke of Edinburgh, Marquess of Ely, Earl of Eltham, Viscount Launceston, Baron Snowdon (never became King)
Prince George (1762  – 1830)	King George III	King George IV, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
Prince Albert Edward (1841 – 1910)	Queen Victoria	King Edward VII, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Earl of Dublin
Prince George (1865 – 1936)	King Edward VII	King George V, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, Baron Killarney
Prince Edward (1894 – 1972)	King George V	Duke of Windsor, King Edward VIII, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
Prince Charles (born 1948)	Queen Elizabeth II	King Charles III, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland
Prince William (born 1982)	King Charles III	Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

The current Prince of Wales is William, the elder son and heir apparent of King Charles III of the United Kingdom. Prince of Wales is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and British throne. The heir apparent is the person who is first in the line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting the throne by the birth of another person. Usually, the heir apparent has been the eldest son of the Sovereign but not always. Twice, the heir apparent was the grandson of the Sovereign. The fathers of the future Richard II and George III both predeceased their own fathers leaving their sons as the heir apparent.

From 1254, the title Earl of Chester had been granted to the heir apparent but starting in 1343, it has been given together with the title Prince of Wales. Neither titles are automatic and must be created for each person.

The Succession to The Crown Act 2013, which formally went into effect on March 26, 2015, put in place absolute primogeniture, which means that for those born after October 28, 2011, the eldest child born becomes the heir to his or her parent, regardless of gender. Someday in the future, it is likely that there will be a female heir apparent to the British throne. Because there is no charter or any other document regarding the Prince of Wales title, it appears that the Sovereign can bestow the title on a female heir apparent at his or her will and pleasure using the royal prerogative.

All children of The Prince of Wales are styled HRH Prince/Princess <First Name> of Wales, as is now the style of the elder son of the current Prince of Wales: HRH Prince George of Wales.

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History

The tradition of conferring the title Prince of Wales on the heir apparent of the monarch began in 1301, when King Edward I of England invested his son Edward of Caernarvon (the future King Edward II) with the title at a Parliament held in Lincoln, England. Since then, the title has been granted (with a few exceptions) to the heir apparent of the English or British monarch. However, it should be no surprise that the title Prince of Wales originated in the independent Principality of Wales and that if King Edward I conferred the title upon his son, he played a role in the conquest and annexation of the Principality of Wales.

The Native Princes of Wales

Wales was divided into a number of separate kingdoms. The largest of these was Gwynedd in northwest Wales and Powys in east Wales. Gwynedd was the most powerful of the Welsh kingdoms. For one man to rule all of Wales during this period was rare. This was because of the inheritance system practiced in Wales. All sons received an equal share of their father’s property, including illegitimate sons, resulting in the division of territories.

Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (circa 1173 – 1240) (Note: “ap” means “son of”), later known as Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great) was the longest reigning ruler of Welsh principalities, maintaining control for 45 years. He was Prince of Gwynedd and Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn. In 1216, Llewellyn received the fealty of other Welsh lords and although he never used the title, he was the de facto Prince of Wales. Llywelyn dominated Wales for 45 years, and was one of only two Welsh rulers to be called “the Great”, the other being his ancestor Rhodri the Great.

Dafydd ap Llywelyn (circa 1212 – 1246) succeeded his father Llywelyn the Great. He was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246 and the first ruler to claim the title Prince of Wales. Dafydd’s mother, known as Joan, Lady of Wales, was an illegitimate daughter of King John of England. King Henry III of England, who was Dafydd’s maternal uncle, accepted his claim to rule Gwynedd, but he was not in favor of allowing Dafydd to retain his father’s Welsh land outside Gwynedd. This led Dafydd to seek out other alliances including one with King Louis IX of France. In August 1241, King Henry III invaded Gwynedd, and after a short campaign, Dafydd was forced to submit. Under the terms of the Treaty of Gwerneigron, he had to give up all his lands outside Gwynedd. Dafydd and Henry III, who was Dafydd’s maternal uncle, continued to battle over Welsh land, with each having victories and losses.

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (circa 1223 – 1282), a grandson of Llywelyn the Great, succeeded his paternal uncle Dafydd ap Llywelyn. Llywelyn came to terms with King Henry III of England and in 1247, signed the Treaty of Woodstock at Woodstock Palace in England. In 1258, Llywelyn received the homage of all the other Welsh princes and assumed the style Prince of Wales which was officially recognized by King Henry III. The uneasy peace with England ended in 1282. By that time, King Edward I had reigned in England for ten years. In the spring of that year, Llywelyn’s brother, Dafydd ap Gruffudd, attacked the English at Hawarden Castle and then laid siege to Rhuddlan Castle. The revolt quickly spread to other parts of Wales.

On December 11, 1282, at the Battle of Orewin Bridge, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was killed while separated from his army. His head was then hacked off and sent to London for public display. After being displayed in the city pillory for a day, the head was taken to the Tower of London and set up over the gate. It was still on the Tower of London gate fifteen years later.

In June 1282, Llywelyn’s wife Eleanor de Montfort had given birth to their only child, a daughter named Gwenllian, and then she died due to childbirth complications. Eleanor de Monfort was the daughter of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and Eleanor of England, the daughter of King John. That would make Eleanor de Monfort the first cousin of King Edward I. The infant Gwenllian was placed in a convent, Gilbertine Priory in Sempringham, England, where she was basically imprisoned until her death 54 years later. Her first cousin once removed, King Edward I, wanted to prevent her from marrying and having sons who might claim the Principality of Wales.

Dafydd ap Gruffydd (1238 – 1283) succeeded his brother as Prince of Wales and was the last independent ruler of the Principality of Wales. His reign did not even last for a year. Within a month after Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s death, King Edward I of England had the main areas of Wales encircled with a massive army. Ultimately, Dafydd was captured and was the first person known to have been tried and condemned to death for high treason against the King. King Edward I made sure that Dafydd’s execution would be slow and agonizing. He was the first prominent person to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Dafydd was dragged through the streets of Shrewsbury, England attached to a horse’s tail, then hanged and revived, next he was disemboweled, and finally, his entrails were burned before him. Lastly, his body was cut into four quarters.

Like King Edward I had done with Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s daughter, he also made sure Dafydd’s children would never reproduce and have heirs. Dafydd’s daughter Gwladys was sent to a convent in Sixhills, Lincolnshire, England where she died in 1336. Dafydd’s two sons were both imprisoned at Bristol Castle for the rest of their lives. Llywelyn ap Dafydd died in mysterious circumstances in 1287 and Owain ap Dafydd, who was kept in a cage, was last known to be alive in 1325.

After the brutal conquest of Wales and the destruction of the ruling family, Wales was stripped of all royal insignia, relics, and regalia. King Edward I took particular delight in appropriating Aber Garth Celyn, the royal home of the defeated dynasty. He then took their title, Prince of Wales, and bestowed it upon his heir.

• Wikipedia: Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England

The native Princes of Wales are among the characters in Sharon Penman‘s historical fiction trilogy, The Welsh Trilogy:

• Here Be Dragons (1985)
• Falls The Shadow (1988)
• The Reckoning (1991)

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Prince of Wales as Title of English and British Heirs Apparent

(Years after the names are birth and death years, names in bold became King)

Name	Parent	Created Prince of Wales	Acceded to the Throne
Edward of Carnarvon (1284 – 1327)	King Edward I	February 7, 1301	Acceded to throne as Edward II on July 7, 1307
Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376)	King Edward III	May 12, 1343	Predeceased his father and never became king
Richard of Bordeaux (1367 – 1400)	Son of Edward the Black Prince, grandson of King Edward III	November 20, 1376	Succeeded his grandfather Edward III on June 22, 1377 as Richard II
Henry of Monmouth (1386 – 1422)	King Henry IV	October 15, 1399	Acceded to throne as Henry V on March 21, 1413
Edward of Westminster (1453 – 1471)	King Henry VI	March 15, 1454	Father deposed on April 11, 1471, Edward killed in battle May 4, 1471
Edward of York (1470 -1483?)	King Edward IV	June 26, 1471	Acceded to throne as Edward V on April 9, 1483
Edward of Middleham (1473 – 1484)	King Richard III	August 24, 1483	Predeceased his father, father lost crown via conquest
Arthur Tudor (1486 – 1502)	King Henry VII	November 29, 1489	Predeceased his father and never became king
Henry Tudor (1491 – 1547)	King Henry VII	February 18, 1504	Acceded to throne as Henry VIII on April 21, 1509
Edward Tudor (1537 – 1553)	King Henry VIII	Never formally created Prince of Wales but used the title	Acceded to throne as Edward VI on January 28, 1547
Henry Frederick Stuart (1594 – 1612)	King James I	June 4, 1610	Predeceased his father and never became king
Charles Stuart (1600 – 1649)	King James I	November 4, 1616	Acceded to throne as Charles I on March 27, 1625
Charles Stuart (1630 – 1685)	King Charles I	Declared Prince of Wales circa 1638–1641	Acceded as Charles II on January 30, 1649, monarchy abolished, monarchy restored in 1660
James Francis Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender (1688 – 1766)	King James II	Circa July 4, 1688	Forfeited title when James II was declared to have abdicated on December 11, 1688
Prince George (1683 – 1760)	King George I	September 27, 1714	Acceded to the throne as George II on June 11, 1727
Prince Frederick (1707 – 1751)	King George II	January 8, 1729	Predeceased his father and never became king
Prince George (1738 – 1820)	Son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, grandson of George II	April 20, 1751	Succeeded his grandfather George II as George III on October 25, 1760
Prince George (1762 – 1830)	King George III	August 19, 1762	Acceded to throne as George IV on January 29, 1820
Prince Albert Edward (1841 – 1910)	Queen Victoria	December 8, 1841	Acceded to throne as Edward VII on January 22, 1901
Prince George (1865 – 1936)	King Edward VII	November 9, 1901	Acceded to throne as George V on May 6, 1910
Prince Edward (1894 – 1972)	King George V	June 23, 1910	Acceded to throne as Edward VIII on January 20, 1936, abdicated on December 11, 1936, later Duke of Windsor
Prince Charles (born 1948)	Queen Elizabeth II	July 26, 1958	Acceded to throne as Charles III on September 8, 2022
Prince William (born 1982)	King Charles III	September 9, 2022

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

There are articles about most of the people mentioned here (and lots more!) at British Index.

Derivation of Words Prince and Princess

Prince and its female equivalent Princess come from the Latin word prīnceps, meaning the one who takes the first place or position. The title of the leader of the Senate in ancient Rome was the princeps senatus.

prince – noun – a non-reigning male member of a royal family

Origin of the word prince – first used in Middle English 1175-1225; from Anglo-Norman prince, from Old French prince, from Latin prīnceps (“first head”), from prīmus (“first”) + capiō (“seize, take”).

princess – noun – a non-reigning female member of a royal family

Origin of the word princess – first used in Middle English 1350-1400; from Anglo-Norman princesse, from Old French princesse 

-ess – a suffix forming distinctively feminine nouns; since at least the 14th century, English has borrowed feminine nouns ending in -ess from French

Origin of the suffix – ess, from Middle English, from Old French -esse, from Late Latin -esse, from Greek -issa

from https://www.dictionary.com, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prince, and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/princess#English

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History

The formal use of the titles prince and princess and the styles of Royal Highness for members of the British royal family is of fairly recent origin. In the past, children of kings were often identified by their birthplace: King Edward II’s daughter Joan of the Tower was born at the Tower of London and King Edward III’s son Lionel of Antwerp was born in Antwerp (now in Belgium) due to his parents’ long stay in the Low Countries due to the Hundred Years War. Usually, when sons of kings became older, they received peerages. For instance, Lionel of Antwerp was created Duke of Clarence when he was twenty years old. Frequently, daughters of kings were called “Lady” or “The Lady” followed by their first name. Although Prince and Princess were sometimes used, it was not a consistent practice.

From 1301, the heir apparent of the Kings of England (and later Great Britain and the United Kingdom) has generally been created Prince of Wales. Their wives were styled Princess of Wales. In 1642, Mary, the eldest daughter of King Charles I, was created the first Princess Royal. Her mother Queen Henrietta Maria, daughter of King Henri IV of France, wanted to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the King of France was styled Madame Royale. Holders retain the style for life, so a princess cannot receive the style during the lifetime of another Princess Royal. There will be separate articles dealing with the titles Prince of Wales and Princess Royal.

In 1714, when Georg Ludwig, Elector of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg came to the British throne as King George I, the first monarch of the House of Hanover, princely titles and styles began to follow the German practice. The children, grandchildren, and male-line great-grandchildren of the British sovereign were automatically titled Prince or Princess of Great Britain and Ireland. Children and grandchildren of the British sovereign were styled Royal Highness and male-line great-grandchildren were styles Highness.

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Current Styles of Princes (using current or recent examples)

       

The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Sussex; Credit – Wikipedia

Examples (HRH = His Royal Highness)

• Sovereign’s heir apparent if Prince of Wales: HRH The Prince of Wales
• The Prince of Wales’ sons without a peerage: HRH Prince George of Wales
• Sovereign’s sons with a peerage (not Prince of Wales): HRH The Duke of York
• Sovereign’s sons without a peerage: HRH The Prince John
• Sovereign’s male-line grandsons with a peerage: HRH The Duke of Kent
• Sovereign’s male-line grandsons without a peerage: HRH Prince Michael of Kent (territorial designation of their father’s senior peerage)
• Sons of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales: HRH Prince George of Cambridge – before his father became Prince of Wales (territorial designation of their father’s senior peerage)

Current Princes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

• HRH The Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis)
• HRH Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis)
• HRH Prince Louis of Wales (Louis Arthur Charles)
• HRH The Duke of Sussex (Henry Charles Albert David)
• HRH Prince Archie of Sussex (Archie Harrison)
• HRH The Duke of York (Andrew Albert Christian Edward)
• HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (Edward Antony Richard Louis)
• HRH The Duke of Gloucester (Richard Alexander Walter George)
• HRH The Duke of Kent (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick)
• HRH Prince Michael of Kent (Michael George Charles Franklin)

Current Styles of Princess (using current or recent examples)

    
The Princess Royal, Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi; Credit – Wikipedia

Only a princess in her own right – a Sovereign’s daughter, The Prince of Wales’ daughter, a Sovereign’s male-line granddaughter, and a daughter of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales – may use Princess followed by her first name:

When a princess marries, she takes on her husband’s title: HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon or HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. However, some of the lower styles are not used by senior royals. For instance, Princess Anne remains HRH The Princess Royal rather than HRH The Princess Royal, Lady Laurence. If a married princess had a territorial designation, she stops using it upon marriage: Princess Alexandra of Kent was styled Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Mrs. Angus Ogilvy upon her marriage.

Examples (HRH = Her Royal Highness)

• Sovereign’s eldest daughter: HRH The Princess Royal (usually, but not automatically, granted by the Sovereign, when the previous Princess Royal is no longer living)
• Sovereign’s daughter: HRH The Princess Margaret
• The Prince of Wales’ daughter: HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales
• Sovereign’s male-line granddaughter: HRH Princess Beatrice of York (before her marriage, territorial designation of their father’s senior peerage)
• Daughters of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales: HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (before her father was Prince of Wales, territorial designation of their father’s senior peerage)

A woman who marries a Prince does not become a Princess in her own right. It is incorrect to use the title Princess followed by the wife’s first name. For example, Princess Diana and Princess Meghan are incorrect.

After marrying The Prince of Wales in 2005, the former Camilla Parker-Bowles automatically received the female counterparts of her husband’s titles, including Princess of Wales. However, because the title Princess of Wales was so strongly associated with the previous holder of that title, Diana, Princess of Wales, Camilla adopted the feminine form of her husband’s highest-ranking subsidiary title, Duke of Cornwall, so she was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall. When in Scotland, she was known as The Duchess of Rothesay – more about the Duke of Rothesay in a separate article.

• Wife of The Prince of Wales: HRH The Princess of Wales
• Wife of a prince who has a peerage: HRH The Duchess of Sussex
• Wife of a son of a Sovereign who has no peerage: HRH The Princess Edward would be HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh’s style if her husband did not have a peerage
• Wife of a prince who has no peerage: HRH Princess Michael of Kent (territorial designation of the father of their husband)
• Divorced wife of a prince who has a peerage: Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York (according to a 1996 Letters Patent, divorced wives are no longer entitled to use the style Her Royal Highness)

Current Princesses of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

• HRH The Princess of Wales (Catherine Elizabeth)
• HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales (Charlotte Elizabeth Diana)
• HRH The Duchess of Sussex (Rachel Meghan)
• HRH Princess Lilibet of Sussex (Lilibet Diana)
• HRH Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary)
• HRH Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank (Eugenie Victoria Helena)
• HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh (Sophie Helen)
• HRH The Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise)
• HRH The Duchess of Gloucester (Birgitte Eva)
• HRH The Duchess of Kent (Katharine Lucy Mary)
• HRH Princess Michael of Kent (Marie Christine)
• HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel)

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General Letters Patent and Proclamations Regarding Titles and/or Styles

Although Letters Patent, Warrants and Proclamations are sometimes issued when titles and styles are changed, it is not necessary. Royal styles and titles are a matter of royal prerogative. At the Sovereign’s will and pleasure, styles and titles can be changed as the Sovereign pleases. Letters Patent tend to be encompassing.  For instance, in 2012, Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent declaring that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have the title Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness – not a Letters Patent stating that children of Prince William will be HRH Prince/Princess.

The links below lead to the actual text of each document.

Children of sons of the Sovereign (January 30, 1864): Three weeks after the birth of Prince Albert Victor of Wales, Queen Victoria’s first male-line grandson, she issued Letters Patent which formally confirmed the practice of styling children and male-line grandchildren of the Sovereign His/Her Royal Highness Prince/Princess. However, the Letters Patent did not mention the styling of great-grandchildren as His/Her Highness or Prince or Princess.
Letters Patent: Children of sons of the Sovereign (January 30, 1864)

Children of the eldest son of any Prince of Wales (May 28, 1898): The children of Prince George, Duke of York, the eldest living son of the Prince of Wales, were titled Prince/Princess with the style of Highness, as great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria in the male-line. Queen Victoria issued Letters Patent which granted all children of the eldest son of any Prince of Wales the style and title of Royal Highness Prince/Princess.
Letters Patent: Children of the eldest son of any Prince of Wales (May 28, 1898)

German titles (July 17, 1917): King George V issued a royal proclamation changing the name of the Royal House from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the House of Windsor and ordering the relinquishment of the German titles Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and other German titles.
Proclamation: German titles (July 17, 1917)

Titles Deprivation Act 1917 (November 8, 1917): The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which authorized enemies of the United Kingdom during World War I to be deprived of their British peerages and royal titles. The Act contained specific procedures to identify British peers or British princes who had “borne arms against His Majesty or His Allies, or who have adhered to His Majesty’s enemies.” A report naming such persons would be sent to both Houses of Parliament. If neither House passed a motion disapproving of the report within forty days, the report would be sent to the King and the persons named would be deprived of their British peerages and/or British royal titles. A successor of a peer or a prince deprived of titles could petition for the restoration of the titles. So far, no successor has petitioned for a title to be restored.
Titles Deprivation Act (1917)

In 1919, four people were deprived of their British peerages and/or titles:

• His Royal Highness Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow (also previously reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, grandson of Queen Victoria)
• His Royal Highness Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, Earl of Armagh (also previously reigning Duke of Brunswick, great-grandson of King George III)
• His Royal Highness Ernest Augustus, Prince of Great Britain and Ireland (also previously Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, son and heir-apparent of the Duke of Cumberland)
• Henry Taaffe, Viscount Taaffe of Corren and Baron of Ballymote

Members of the Royal Family (November 30, 1917): King George V issued Letters Patent changing the rights to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. The children of the Sovereign, the children of the sons of the Sovereign, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would be entitled to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. The Letters Patent also stipulated that the styles Royal Highness, Highness or Serene Highness and the title Prince or Princess should not be used by any descendent of any Sovereign. Grandchildren of the sons of the Sovereign in the direct male-line are entitled to the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes: Lord/Lady followed by their first name and surname.
Letters Patent: Members of the Royal Family (November 30, 1917)

Former Wives (August 21, 1996): Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent stating that a former wife (other than a widow until she shall remarry) of a son of a Sovereign, a son of a son of a Sovereign, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of The Prince of Wales shall not be entitled to the style of Royal Highness.
Letters Patent: Former Wives (August 21, 1996)

Children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (December 31, 2012): Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent declaring that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have the title Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness.
Letters Patent: Children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (December 31, 2012)

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Exceptions to the Rule

The links below lead to the actual text of each document.

Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (July 22, 1816): As a male-line great-grandchild of King George II, he was styled His Highness. In 1816, when he married Her Royal Highness Princess Mary, his cousin and daughter of King George III, he was granted the style His Royal Highness by his uncle The Prince Regent. His only surviving sibling, Princess Sophia of Gloucester, was also granted the style Her Royal Highness at the same time.
Warrant: 2nd Duke of Gloucester (July 22, 1816)
Warrant: Princess Matilda of Gloucester (July 22, 1816)

Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Saalfeld (April 6, 1818): Upon his marriage to Princess Charlotte of Wales in 1818, The Prince Regent granted him the style His Royal Highness.
Warrant: Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (April 6, 1818)

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (February 6, 1840): Upon his marriage to Queen Victoria in 1840, he was granted the style His Royal Highness.
Warrant: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (February 6, 1840)

Prince Albert (June 29, 1857): Queen Victoria granted her husband the title Prince Consort in 1857. He is the only husband of an English or British Queen Regnant to have that title.
Letters Patent: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (June 29, 1857)

Prince Ludwig of Hesse (June 29, 1866): Queen Victoria granted Prince Ludwig of Hesse, the future Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, the style of His Royal Highness when he married her daughter Princess Alice in 1862.
Warrant: Prince Louis of Hesse (July 5, 1862)

Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein: Queen Victoria granted Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the style of His Royal Highness when he married her daughter Princess Helena in 1866.
Warrant: Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (June 29, 1866)

Children of Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (May 15, 1867): Through Her Royal Will and Pleasure, Queen Victoria declared that the children of her daughter Princess Helena and her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein would be British-born subjects and descendants of her Royal House and have the style of Highness prefixed to their respective Christian names. As male-line grandchildren of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, the children of Princess Helena and her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein would have been styled His/Her Serene Highness. Highness is considered a higher ranking than Serene Highness.
Children of Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (May 15, 1867)

Prince Henry of Battenberg (July 22, 1885): Queen Victoria granted Prince Henry of Battenberg the style of His Royal Highness when he married her daughter Princess Beatrice in 1885.
Warrant: Prince Henry of Battenberg (July 22, 1885)

Children of Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg (December 4, 1886): Through Her Royal Will and Pleasure, Queen Victoria declared that the children of her daughter Princess Beatrice and her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg would be British-born subjects and descendants of her Royal House and have the style of Highness prefixed to their respective Christian names. The children of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg would have used their father’s style His/Her Serene Highness. Highness is considered a higher ranking than Serene Highness.
Children of Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg (December 4, 1886) (scroll up a bit)

Francis, Duke of Teck (July 1, 1887): Francis, Duke of Teck married Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, granddaughter of King George III and first cousin of Queen Victoria. He had been styled His Serene Highness. Queen Victoria granted the Duke of Teck the style of Highness as a gift to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. Francis and Mary Adelaide were the parents of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, better known as Queen Mary, wife of King George V.
Warrant: Duke of Teck (July 1, 1887)

Daughters of The Princess Royal (November 9, 1905): In 1889, Prince Louise of Wales, elder daughter of the future King Edward VII, married Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife. The couple had two daughters, Alexandra and Maud. As female-line great-granddaughters of the British monarch, (Queen Victoria), Alexandra and Maud were not entitled to the title of Princess or the style Royal Highness. Instead, they were styled Lady Alexandra Duff and Lady Maud Duff, the styles of daughters of a Duke.

In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom giving the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder in default of male issue to the Duke’s daughters and their male descendants. Upon the death of the Duke of Fife, his daughter Alexandra succeeded him as Duchess of Fife in her own right.

Louise was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and was created Princess Royal during her father’s reign, in 1905. At the same time, King Edward VII granted Louise’s daughters Alexandra and Maud the title of Princess with the style of Highness.
The Princess Royal and her daughters (November 9, 1905)

Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (April 3, 1906): In 1886, Queen Victoria declared that the children of her daughter Princess Beatrice and her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg would be British-born subjects and descendants of her Royal House and have the style of Highness. In 1906, Her Highness Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg was to marry King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Although one of Victoria Eugenie’s brothers had hemophilia, the bigger obstacles were her Anglican religion and, as far as Alfonso’s mother was concerned, her less-than-royal bloodline. The princess willingly agreed to convert to Catholicism, and her uncle King Edward VII elevated her rank to Royal Highness so there could be no question of an unequal marriage.
Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (April 3, 1906)

Adolphus, Duke of Teck (June 9, 1911): Adolphus, Duke of Teck was the brother of Queen Mary, wife of King George V. He had been styled His Serene Highness. On June 9, 1911, King George V granted his brother-in-law the style His Highness as a gift to mark the King’s coronation.
Warrant: 2nd Duke of Teck (June 9, 1911)

Children of Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick (June 17, 1914): In 1914, shortly after the birth of Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, the eldest child of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, King George V granted the children of the Duke and Duchess of Brunswick the style Highness and declared that they would be Prince or Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick was a grandson of King George III’s son Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who succeeded to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1837, when Queen Victoria became the British monarch. Hanover did not allow for female succession and so the eldest surviving son of King George III became King of Hanover.
Letters Patent: Children of Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick (June 17, 1914)

Lady Patricia Ramsay (February 25, 1919): In 1919, Princess Patricia of Connaught, male-line granddaughter of Queen Victoria, married The Honorable Alexander Ramsay, the third son of John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie. Upon her marriage, Princess Patricia voluntarily relinquished the style of Royal Highness and the title of Princess of Great Britain and Ireland and assumed the style of Lady Patricia Ramsay. However, Lady Patricia remained a member of the British Royal Family, remained in the line of succession, and attended all major royal events including weddings, funerals, and the coronations. Her first cousin King George V issued a warrant allowing Princess Patricia to relinquish her style and title upon her marriage.
Warrant: Lady Patricia Ramsay (February 25, 1919)

Duke of Windsor (May 27, 1937): After King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, his brother and successor King George VI issued Letters Patent regranting his brother his style His Royal Highness, as a son of a Sovereign. However, his brother’s wife and any descendants were denied the style Royal Highness. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s marriage was childless.
Letters Patent: Duke of Windsor (May 27, 1937)

Duke of Edinburgh (November 19, 1947): Upon the marriage of his daughter Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip Mountbatten, King George VI issued Letters Patent granting his daughter’s husband the style His Royal Highness and the peerage Duke of Edinburgh.
Letters Patent: Duke of Edinburgh (November 19, 1947)

Children of HRH The Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh (October 22, 1948): Just prior to the birth of the first child of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, King George VI issued Letters Patent declaring that their children have the style Royal Highness and the titles Prince or Princess. Without this Letters Patent, their children would have been styled as the children of a Duke: Charles Mountbatten, Earl of Merioneth and The Lady Anne Mountbatten.
Letters Patent: Children of HRH The Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh (October 22, 1948)

Duke of Edinburgh (February 22, 1957): Queen Elizabeth II issued Letters Patent creating her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Before his marriage, Philip relinquished his Greek and Danish royal titles, adopted the surname Mountbatten from his mother’s family, and became a naturalized British subject.
Letters Patent: Duke of Edinburgh (February 22, 1957)

Duchess of Kent (1961): When her son Prince Edward, Duke of Kent married in 1961, the Duchess of Kent asked Queen Elizabeth II permission to be styled Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent to avoid confusion with her daughter-in-law Katherine Worsley, the new Duchess of Kent. Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent had been born Her Royal Highness Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark.

Duchess of Gloucester (1974): In 1974, after the death of her husband, the Duchess of Gloucester received permission from Queen Elizabeth II to style herself Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester to distinguish herself from her son’s wife, the new Duchess of Gloucester. Unlike Princess Marina, Alice had been born Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott and had never been a princess in her own right, and so allowing this was far more unusual.

The children of the Earl of Wessex (June 19, 1999): At the time of the wedding of Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest child, and Sophie Rhys-Jones, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had decided, in agreement with the wishes of Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones, that any children of their marriage would not be given the style Royal Highness and the title Prince or Princess. Instead, any children would have courtesy titles of sons or daughters of an Earl. No Letters Patent was issued. However, royal styles and titles are a matter of royal prerogative. At the Sovereign’s will and pleasure, styles and titles can be changed as the Sovereign pleases.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

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Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). British prince. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_prince [Accessed 30 Nov. 2018].
• Velde, F. (2018). Royal Styles and Titles of Great Britain: Documents. [online] Heraldica.org. Available at: https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/prince_highness_docs.htm [Accessed 30 Nov. 2018].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

The Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two royal duchies in England and is held in trust for the Sovereign to provide income for the use of the British monarch. The other royal duchy is the Duchy of Cornwall which provides a similar purpose for the eldest son of the reigning British monarch. The monarch, regardless of gender, has the style of Duke of Lancaster. The duchy comprises 46,000 acres and includes urban developments, historic buildings, farmland in many parts of England and Wales, and large holdings in Lancashire. The Sovereign is not entitled to the capital of the Duchy’s portfolio or to capital profits. Revenue profits are distributed to the Sovereign and are subject to income tax.

• Official Website: Duchy of Lancaster

The Duchy of Lancaster came into the British royal family via the marriage of one of King Edward III’s sons, John of Gaunt. John of Gaunt was the fourth son but the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. It is through John’s first marriage that the Duchy of Lancaster eventually became a possession of the British Crown. John is also quite important in royal genealogy. His daughter Catherine of Lancaster married King Enrique III of Castile, which made John the grandfather of King Juan II of Castile and the ancestor of all subsequent monarchs of Castile and a united Spain. His daughter Philippa of Lancaster married King João I of Portugal making all future Portuguese monarchs descendants of John. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her predecessors since King Henry IV are descended from John of Gaunt. In fact, most European monarchies are descended from John. The Houses of Lancaster, York, and Tudor were all descended from three of John of Gaunt’s children:

• King Henry IV (Lancaster: father of King Henry V, grandfather of King Henry VI)
• Joan Beaufort (York: grandmother of King Edward IV and King Richard III)
• John Beaufort (Tudor: great-grandfather of King Henry VII)

Following his father’s plan for his sons to marry wealthy heiresses, John of Gaunt married Blanche of Lancaster on May 19, 1359, in the Queen’s Chapel at Reading Abbey. The bride was fourteen-years-old and the groom was nineteen-year-old. Blanche’s father was Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, a great-grandson of King Henry III. Blanche had only one sibling, an elder sister Maud. Blanche and John were third cousins, both being great-great-grandchildren of King Henry III. This was an excellent match for both Blanche and John. Blanche was marrying into the royal family and John’s wealth was greatly increased by marrying one of the richest heiresses in England.

Description of above painting from the Reading Museum where the painting is on display: In this painting John of Gaunt and his bride walk from beneath a gilded canopy towards the officiating Bishop of Salisbury. Four lords support the wedding canopy. The one nearest to Blanche is her father, Henry Duke of Lancaster. Close by is the poet Chaucer, clothed in black and bearing a scroll. On the throne is John’s father, King Edward III, beneath a crimson canopy decorated with the lions of England. Beside the King are two of the royal princes, Edward the Black Prince and Prince Lionel.

Blanche’s father died in 1361 and her sister died in 1362, making Blanche the sole heiress. At this time, it was common for extinct titles of heiresses’ fathers to pass to their husbands. John of Gaunt was created Duke of Lancaster on November 13, 1362. By that time, his wealth was immense. He owned thirty castles and estates in England and France. His household was comparable in size and organization to that of a monarch and his annual income was between £8,000 and £10,000 a year which would be several million pounds in today’s terms. This was the beginning of today’s Duchy of Lancaster which descended to John of Gaunt’s eldest son King Henry IV and has remained in the British Crown ever since.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

queen – noun – a female sovereign or monarch; the wife or consort of a king.

Origin of the word queen – first used before 900 in Middle English quene, quen; from Old English cwēn (woman, wife, consort, queen, empress, princess); *cognate with Old Saxon quān (wife), Old Norse kvān, Gothic qēns (wife), Scots wheen (pronounced queen), Middle Low German quene (elderly woman), Dutch kween (woman past child-bearing age), Swedish kvinna (woman), Icelandic kvon (wife), Norwegian kvån (wife)

*cognate – descended from the same language

from https://www.dictionary.com and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/queen

Queen Consort

A Queen Consort is the wife of a reigning king. She shares her husband’s rank and status and holds the feminine equivalent of the king’s titles but does not share the king’s political powers. In the United Kingdom, a Queen Consort is styled Her Majesty Queen <first name>.

In England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, there has only been one husband of a Queen Regnant, a reigning queen, who had anything near the title of King Consort. Under the terms of the Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary I to Philip of Spain, Philip of Spain, the future King Philip II of Spain, was to enjoy Queen Mary I of England’s titles and honors for as long as their marriage lasted and was styled King of England, King of France, King of Ireland and Defender of the Faith. The marriage was unsuccessful and childless and lasted until Mary I’s death four years later.

Queen Victoria wanted her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to be King Consort but the British government refused to introduce a bill allowing it. In 1857, Queen Victoria created her husband Prince Consort, the only spouse of a Queen Regnant to hold that title.

In the past, some European monarchies had laws and rules that only equal marriages are full marriages for dynastic purposes. The marriage of a prince or king to a woman of a lesser rank was considered either morganatic or not valid at all. The woman and any children from the marriage did not enjoy the titles, privileges, and inheritance rights due to a member of the dynasty. That meant that princes and kings either had to marry members of their own extended family or marry someone from another monarchy.

However, equal marriage laws did not exist in England. Members of the various royal houses could marry into ordinary noble families or even marry into families below the nobility. Predominantly, English and British kings married into foreign ruling houses for political reasons. Of the forty-three consorts (male and female) since the Norman Conquest in 1066, thirty-three have been foreign-born, ten were native-born and nine were not of royal birth.

Several sovereigns had no consorts: King William II, King Edward V, King Edward VI, and Queen Elizabeth I were unmarried, King George I divorced his wife before he became king, and King Edward VIII did not marry until after he abdicated. King Henry IV and King James II had first wives who died before they became king so their second wives were their Queen Consort. King William III and his wife and first cousin Queen Mary II reigned jointly. They were both grandchildren of King Charles I.

English and British Queen Consorts

• Matilda of Flanders, wife of King William I
• Matilda of Scotland, first wife of King Henry I
• Adeliza of Louvain, second wife of King Henry I
• Matilda of Boulogne, wife of King Stephen
• Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of King Henry II
• Berengaria of Navarre, wife of King Richard I
• Isabella of Angoulême, wife of King John
• Eleanor of Provence, wife of King Henry III
• Eleanor of Castile, first wife of King Edward I
• Margaret of France, second wife of King Edward I
• Isabella of France, wife of King Edward II
• Philippa of Hainault, wife of King Edward III
• Anne of Bohemia, first wife of King Richard II
• Isabella of Valois, second wife of King Richard II
• Joan of Navarre, (second) wife of King Henry IV
• Catherine of Valois, wife of King Henry V
• Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI
• Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward IV
• Anne Neville, wife of King Richard III
• Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII
• Catherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII
• Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII
• Jane Seymour, third wife of King Henry VIII
• Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII
• Catherine Howard, fifth wife of King Henry VIII
• Catherine Parr, sixth wife of King Henry VIII
• Anne of Denmark, wife of King James I
• Henrietta Maria of France, wife of King Charles I
• Catherine of Braganza, wife of King Charles II
• Maria Beatrice of Modena, (second) wife of King James II
• Caroline of Ansbach, wife of King George II
• Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III
• Caroline of Brunswick, wife of King George IV
• Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of King William IV
• Alexandra of Denmark, wife of King Edward VII
• Mary of Teck, wife of King George V
• Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, wife of King George VI
• Camilla Shand Parker-Bowles, wife of King Charles III

Queen Dowager

A Queen Dowager is the widow of a king. After her husband’s death, she continues to enjoy the title, style, and precedence of a queen. However, many former Queen Consorts do not formally use the word “dowager” as part of their titles.

English and British Queen Dowagers: *are also Queen Mothers (see below)

• Adeliza of Louvain, widow of King Henry I
• Eleanor of Aquitaine*, widow of King Henry II
• Berengaria of Navarre, widow of King Richard I
• Isabella of Angoulême*, widow of King John
• Eleanor of Provence*, widow of King Edward II
• Marguerite of France, widow of King Edward III
• Isabella of France*, widow of King Edward II
• Isabella of Valois, widow of King Richard II
• Joan of Navarre, widow of King Henry IV
• Catherine of Valois*, widow of King Henry V
• Margaret of Anjou, widow of King Henry VI
• Elizabeth Woodville*, widow of King Edward IV
• Catherine Parr, widow of King Henry VIII
• Henrietta Maria of France*, widow of King Charles I
• Catherine of Braganza, widow of King Charles II
• Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, widow of King William IV
• Alexandra of Denmark*, widow of King Edward VII
• Mary of Teck*, widow of King George V
• Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon*, widow of King George VI

Queen Mother

A Queen Mother is the widow of a king, a Queen Dowager, who is also the mother of his successor. She continues to enjoy the title, style, and precedence of a queen after her husband’s death. Many think the title was created for the mother of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom who was styled Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. However, there is evidence that the term has been used in the English language since at least 1560. The State Prayers in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer refer to Henrietta Maria, the widow of King Charles I and the mother of King Charles II as “Mary the Queen Mother.” It is unclear how many Queens Mother formally used the title. Neither Queen Alexandra, widow of King Edward VII and mother of King George V, nor Queen Mary, widow of King George V and mother of King Edward VIII and King George VI, used the title.

English and British Queens Mothers:

• Eleanor of Aquitaine, widow of King Henry II, mother of King Richard I and King John
• Isabella of Angoulême, widow of King John, mother of King Henry III
• Eleanor of Provence, widow of King Henry III, mother of King Edward I
• Isabella of France, widow of King Edward II, mother of King Edward III
• Catherine of Valois, widow of King Henry V, mother of King Henry VI
• Elizabeth Woodville, widow of King Edward IV, mother of King Edward V
• Henrietta Maria of France, widow of King Charles I, mother of King Charles II
• Alexandra of Denmark, widow of King Edward VII, mother of King George V
• Mary of Teck, widow of King George V, mother of King Edward VIII and King George VI
• Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (styled Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother), widow of King George VI, mother of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Regnant

A Queen Regnant is a female sovereign, equivalent in rank to a king, who reigns in her own right. Originally in England, there were no fixed rules governing succession to the throne. The sovereign could be determined by inheritance, statute, election, nomination by a reigning sovereign in his or her will, conquest or de facto possession. Over time, the default rule became male primogeniture and eventually, Parliament gained control of succession.

There were no laws in England saying a female could not succeed to the throne but kings wanted male heirs. In 1120, William Ætheling, King Henry I’s only legitimate son was returning to England from Normandy when his ship hit a submerged rock, capsized and sank. William Ætheling and many others drowned. See Unofficial Royalty: The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession.  Although King Henry I had many illegitimate children, the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda. Henry I’s nephews were his closest male heirs. His first wife had died in 1118 and, Henry I, hoping for a male heir, married again but the marriage was childless. On Christmas Day 1126, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors.

On December 1, 1135, King Henry I of England died. His nephew Stephen of Blois quickly crossed from France to England, seized power, and was crowned King of England. His cousin Matilda did not give up her claim to the throne, leading to the long civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153. Matilda reigned for several months during 1141 but then her cousin Stephen regained power. Eventually, Stephen and Matilda’s son Henry agreed upon a negotiated peace, the Treaty of Winchester, in which Stephen recognized Henry as his heir. When Stephen died in 1154 and Henry ascended the throne as King Henry II, the first Angevin King of England.

King Henry VIII’s quest for a son to succeed him and his six marriages are well-known. Eventually, Henry did get a son to succeed him but he was sickly and reigned for only six years. Henry VIII’s younger daughter Queen Elizabeth I proved to be one of the greatest British monarchs.

Queen Victoria came to the throne after another succession crisis, the death in childbirth of King George III’s only legitimate grandchild Princess Charlotte of Wales. Her death left no legitimate heir in the second generation and prompted the aging sons of King George III to begin a frantic search for brides to provide for the succession. See Death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth and its impact on the British succession. For 114 years, Queen Victoria held the record as the longest-reigning British monarch until another Queen, her great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her on September 9, 2015.

The Succession to The Crown Act 2013 put in place absolute primogeniture, which means the eldest child born becomes the heir to his or her parent, regardless of gender. This is retroactive to those born after October 28, 2011. With the birth of her younger brother Prince Louis of Cambridge on April 23, 2018, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge became the first British princess not to be overtaken in the line of succession by her younger brother.

English and British Queen Regnants

• Matilda, Lady of the English (reigned April 7 – November 1, 1141)
• Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England (reigned July 10 – 19, 1553)
• Mary I, Queen of England (reigned 1553 – 1558)
• Elizabeth I, Queen of England (reigned 1558 – 1603)
• Mary II, Queen of England and Scotland (reigned 1689 – 1694), reigned jointly with her husband and first cousin William III until her death
• Anne, Queen of Great Britain (reigned 1702 – 1714)
• Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (reigned 1837 – 1901)
• Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom (reigned 1952 – 2022)

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

king – noun – a male sovereign or monarch; a man who holds by life tenure, and usually by hereditary right, the chief authority over a country and people.

Origin of the word king – first used before 900 in Middle English; from Old English cyng, cyning; *cognate of German König, Dutch koning, Old Norse konungr, Swedish konung, Danish konge

*cognate – descended from the same language

from https://www.dictionary.com

From England to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

From the beginning of human civilization, there was someone who was in charge of groups of people – head of a family, tribal leader, a village chieftain – leading eventually to some kind of hereditary leader. In Old English, the word cyn (meaning kin, tribe, people) was changed into a different word by adding the suffix –ing. The new word cyning meant descendant of one of noble birth and eventually became the English word king.

Æthelstan (circa 894 – 939) became the first king to rule all of England when he conquered Northumbria in 927. He is generally regarded by historians as the first true king of England. The title Rex Anglorum in Latin (King of the English) was first used to describe Æthelstan in a 928 charter. King of the English remained in use until King John became king in 1199 when the title became King of England.

An invasion of Ireland starting in 1169 by King Henry II eventually brought about the end of rule High Kings of Ireland. In 1177, King Henry II gave the part of Ireland he controlled at that time to his ten-year-old son John as a Lordship and John became Lord of Ireland. When John succeeded as King of England in 1199, he remained Lord of Ireland, bringing the Kingdom of England and the Lordship of Ireland into personal union. In 1284, the territory of the King of England increased when the Principality of Wales was incorporated into the Kingdom of England under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284. The title of King of Ireland was re-created in 1542 during the reign of King Henry VIII.  All of Ireland remained under British rule until the Irish Free State, today’s Republic of Ireland, became independent in 1922.

While British sovereigns had other titles which will be dealt with in another article, the titles King of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom will be dealt with here. In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died childless and James VI, King of Scots also became King James I of England, joining the crowns of England and Scotland in a personal union, the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain separate. This practice continued through the Stuart dynasty until 1707, during the reign of Queen Anne, when England and Scotland were formally united into Great Britain by the Acts of Union 1707. The sovereign then was King/Queen of Great Britain.

In 1800, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was created by the Acts of Union 1800 and King George III went from being titled King of Great Britain to King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922, the Irish Free State, today’s Republic of Ireland, gained independence. Northern Ireland remained under British control and is still a part of today’s United Kingdom. The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 recognized the change in the status of Ireland and also recognized the various British dominions and so the sovereign’s title became King/Queen of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas. In 1953, separate styles and titles were adopted for each of the realms over which the sovereign reigned, for instance, King/Queen of Canada. The sovereign then became King/Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His/Her other Realms and Territories.

For more information, see

• Unofficial Royalty: British Index (biographical articles and much more)
• Unofficial Royalty: British Sovereigns’ Titles
• Wikipedia: List of changes to the royal style

The King’s Styles

Over the years, sovereigns were occasionally and indiscriminately styled as My Lord/My Lady, His/Her Grace, His/Her Highness and His/Her Majesty. Around 1519, the Holy Roman Emperor and the King of France assumed the style Majesty and King Henry VIII copied them. Previous English sovereigns had sometimes used Majesty but it became more common during Henry VIII’s reign. However, it was not used exclusively. A legal judgment issued during King Henry VIII’s reign used three different styles: Article 15 begins with, “The Kinges Highness”, Article 16 with, “The Kinges Majestie”, and Article 17 with, “The Kinges Grace.” It was not until the reign of King James I that Majesty became the official style.

Regnal Numbers

Regnal numbers are used to distinguish sovereigns with the same name. If only one sovereign has used a particular name, no regnal number is used. For example, Queen Victoria is not known as Victoria I. During the reign of the House of Stuart, some sovereigns had two different regnal numbers because they were sovereigns of both England and Scotland. For instance, King James VI of Scotland was also King James I of England as he was the sixth King of Scots with the name James and the first King of England with the name James. When England and Scotland were united with the Acts of Union 1707, sovereigns followed the numbering consistent with the English sequence of sovereigns. This caused some controversy in Scotland. When Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne, the controversy arose again. She was the second Elizabeth to reign in England but the first Elizabeth to reign in Scotland. In 1953, Prime Minister Winston Churchill suggested that in the future, the higher of the two regnal numbers from the English and Scottish sequences should always be used.

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