This is a list of British princes from the accession of King George I in 1714. The title of prince is at the will of the sovereign, who can both grant and revoke the title. Individuals holding the title of prince will usually also be styled ‘’His Royal Highness’’ (HRH) or formerly ‘’His Highness’’ (HH). The sovereign grants the titles of prince and styles of HRH or HH through the use of letters patent, orders in council, or by another expression of the royal will. The wife of a British prince will usually take the title and style of her husband.
Prior to 1714, the title of prince and the style of HRH was not in common or customary usage. Sons and daughters of the sovereign were not automatically or traditionally called a prince or princess. An exception was the Prince of Wales, a title conferred on the eldest son of the sovereign since the reign of Edward I of England. Some others include John, brother of Richard the Lionheart and later John I of England, who is sometimes called Prince John.
After the accession of King George I, it became customary for the sons of the sovereign and grandsons of the sovereign in the male line to be titled Prince and styled HRH. Great-grandsons of the sovereign were princes styled HH. This was not a legal creation, but more customary, and in line with George I’s Hanoverian background. It also allowed the creation as the royal family of those in immediate line of succession to the throne, with royal titles and living in close proximity.
The titles of prince and princess for members of the royal family were used until Queen Victoria issued letters patent in 1864 which confirmed the practice. Subsequently some amendments were made, with the issuance of specific letters patent changing the title and style of the following groups:
In 1917, King George V issued a royal proclamation, altering the name of the Royal House from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the House of Windsor. A few months later in that year, new letters patent altered the rights to the title prince and the style HRH. The letters patent stated that “the children of any Sovereign of the United Kingdom and the children of the sons of any such Sovereign (as per the Letters Patent of 1864) and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (a modification of the Letters Patent of 1898) shall have and at all times hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names or with their other titles of honour”. The effect of this was that great-grandchildren of the sovereign were no longer titled prince or princess, and were instead styled as the children of a duke. Also the Duke of Brunswick and his children were denied the title of prince. The 1917 letters patent remain in force today, excepting a few amendments and creations noted.
In 1948King George VI issued letters patent allowing the children of his son-in-law and daughter, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, to assume princely titles and the style HRH; they would not have been entitled to them ordinarily, as grandchildren in the female line, until their mother ascended the throne as Elizabeth II. Thus the current Prince of Wales was styled HRH Prince Charles of Edinburgh until his mother’s accession.
Elizabeth II issued letters patent in 1956, creating HRH The Duke of Edinburgh a Prince of the United Kingdom. He was granted the HRH style in 1948 by George VI prior to his wedding to Princess Elizabeth.
Elizabeth II made known her decision in 1999 that the children of her youngest son, HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, would not have the title prince/princess or the HRH style but instead use the titles of the children of an earl. For reasons of her own, the Queen chose not to issue letters patent in connection with this change but to have her decision announced by her press secretary. Since the form used to announce the royal will is entirely a matter for the sovereign, there is no doubt that this determination is fully effective.
Sons of sovereigns- HRH The Prince ‘’X’’, eg HRH The Prince Edward
Grandchildren- HRH Prince ‘’X’’ of ‘’Y’’, where Y is the territorial designation of their father’s peerages, eg HRH Prince Michael of Kent
Great-grandchildren- HH Prince ‘’X’’ of ‘’Y’’ (until 1917, as described above).
The Prince of Wales is normally styled HRH The Prince of Wales,
and royal dukes, HRH The Duke of Y. Royal dukes remain princes, however.
Wives of British princes take on their husbands' titles. If the prince has a peerage, the wife will become HRH and the female equivalent of the peerage rank, eg HRH The Countess of Wessex. If the prince has no peerage, as in the case of HRH Prince Michael of Kent, the wife will become HRH and will take the title Princess with her husband's name, eg HRH Princess Michael of Kent.
Following the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker Bowles on 9 April2005 his new wife uses the style HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, using one of his peerage titles, instead of Princess of Wales.
These formal styles are not often used in the media or by the general public. The terms "Prince Charles", "Princess Diana" "Prince Andrew", "Prince Edward", "Princess Anne" and suchforth are most commonly heard, even though the persons involved may never have held that formal style.
