British princess

This is a list of British princesses from the accession of King George I in 1714. This article deals with both princess of the blood royal and women who become princesses upon marriage.

The use of title of Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is entirely at the will of the Sovereign. Individuals holding the title of princess are styled Her Royal Highness. Since King George V's Letters Patent of 30 November 1917, the title Princess and the use of the style Royal Highness has generally been restricted to the following persons:

• The daughters of a British Sovereign;
• The granddaughters of a British Sovereign in the male-line;
• The wife of a British prince

There have been several exceptions to these rules, as explained later in this article.

Contents

1 Princesses of the blood royal and princesses by marriage 2 History 3 Letters Patent, Royal Warrants, and Implied Grants 4 Styling of princesses 5 List of princesses of the blood since 1714 6 See also 7 External links

Princesses of the blood royal and princesses by marriage

Under the current practice, princesses of the blood royal are the legitimate daughters and the male-line granddaughters of a British Sovereign. They are dynasts, that is potential successors to the throne. For these individuals, the title "Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" and the style "Her Royal Highness" is an entitlement for life. The title Princess and the style Royal Highness is prefixed to the Christian name, before another title of honor. From 1714 until 1917, the male-line great granddaughters of the Sovereign were titled "Princess of Great Britain and Ireland" with the style "Highness." Since 1917, the male-line great granddaughters of the Sovereign, have held "the style and title enjoyed by the children of dukes." For example, the daughters of the current Duke of Gloucester, a male line grandson of George V, are styled The Lady Davina Windsor and The Lady Rose Windsor.

Princesses by marriage are the recognized wives of the Sovereign's sons and male line grandsons. Generally, these women are entitled to the style Royal Highness by virtue of marriage. They retain the style during their widowhood. However, Queen Elizabeth II issued Letters Patent dated 21 August 1996 that stated that any woman divorced from a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the style "Royal Highness" would no longer be entitled to the style "Royal Highness."

Since the passage of the 1772 Royal Marriages Act, there have been several instances in which princes of the blood contracted marriages in contravention of that act and several instances in which the Sovereign withheld the style "Her Royal Highness" from a prince's wife deemed to be unsuitable. For example, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, a male-line grandson of King George III, married Sarah Louisa Fairbrother, in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act. Although morganatic marriage did not exist in British law, the duke's wife was never titled the Duchess of Cambridge or accorded the style "Her Royal Highness." Instead, she known as "Mrs. FitzGeorge." Most famously, King George VI issued Letters Patent dated 27 May 1937 that entitled the Duke of Windsor "to hold and enjoy for himself only the title style or attribute of Royal Highness so however that his wife and descendants if any shall not hold the said title style or attribute."

The wife of a prince of the blood takes her husband's Christian name in her title as do all married royal women. For example, upon her marriage to Prince Michael of Kent in 1978, Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz assumed the title and style of "Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent." Similarly, upon her marriage to then Prince Richard of Gloucester, the former Birgitte van Deurs assumed the title and style of "Her Royal Highness Princess Richard of Gloucester."

The situation is slightly different when a woman is married to a prince who happens to be a peer or the Prince of Wales. Upon marriage, the wife the Prince of Wales becomes "Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales." Upon marriage, the wife of a royal duke (or earl) becomes "Her Royal Highness The Duchess (or Countess) of X." When Prince Richard of Gloucester succeeded to his father's dukedom in 1974, his wife became "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester."

It is technically incorrect to refer to the wife of a royal peer only as "Princess Husbandsfirstname" alone. However, you can refer to her as "Princess Husbandsfirstname, Peerage Title." So, if a woman marries HRH The Duke of Cambridge, she may not be referred to as "HRH The Princess George," but she may be called "HRH The Princess George, Duchess of Cambridge."

History

The use of the titles prince and princess and the styles of Highness and Royal Highness for members of the Royal Family is of fairly recently usage in the British Isles. Before 1714, there was no settled practice regarding the use of the titles prince and princess other than the heir apparent and his wife. From 1301 onward, the eldest sons of the kings of England (and later Great Britain and the United Kingdom) have generally been created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. Their wives were titled Princess of Wales.

The title Princess Royal came into being in 1642 when Queen Henrietta Maria, French-born the wife of King Charles I) wished to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the French King was styled (Madame Royale). However, there was no settled practice on the use of the title princess for the Sovereign's younger daughters or male-line granddaughters. For example, as late as the time of King Charles II, the daughters of his brother James, Duke of York, both of whom became queens regent, were called simply "The Lady Mary" and "The Lady Anne." The future Queen Anne was styled princess in her marriage treaty to Prince George of Denmark and then styled "Princess Anne of Denmark" once married.

After the accession of George I, the children, male line grandchildren, and male line great grandchildren of the British Sovereign were automatically titled "Prince or Princess of Great Britain and Ireland" and styled "Royal Highness" (in the case of children and male line grandchildren) or "Highness" (in the case of male line great grandchilren). Queen Victoria confirmed this practice in Letters Patent dated 30 January 1864 (the first Act of the Prerogative dealing with the princely title in general terms).

Letters Patent, Royal Warrants, and Implied Grants

Since 1864, there are have been several Acts of Prerogative specifically dealing with the titles of princess of the blood royal and princesses by marriage.

On 5 November 1905, Edward VII ordered Garter King of Arms to gazzette his female-line granddaughters, Lady Alexandra Duff and Lady Maud Duff, as Princesses of Great Britain and Ireland with the style Highness and precedence immediately after all members of the British Royal Family styled Royal Highness. On the same day, the King declared their mother, Princess Louise the Princess Royal.

Princess Patricia of Connaught, a male line granddaughter of Queen Victoria, was allowed by King George V's Royal Warrants of 25 February 1919 to "relinquish the style of Royal Highness and the title of Princess of Great Britain and Ireland" and to assume the style of "Lady Patricia Ramsay" (precedence immediately before Marchionesses of England) upon the solemnization of her marriage to Commander the Honourable Alexander Ramsay, R.N. This change in style and title did not affect Lady Patricia Ramsay's membership in the Royal Family or her place in the line of succession.

On 9 November 1948, George VI issued Letters Patent granting the title of Prince or Princess of the United Kingdom, with the style Royal Highness, to the children of The Duke of Edinburgh and The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh. Thus, the current Princess Royal was styled "Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of Edinburgh" from birth. Previous to this letters patent, she would have been styled "The Lady Anne Mountbatten" as a child of a duke, although she would have been elevated on the accession of her mother to the throne as a child of the sovereign.

In 1974, The Dowager Duchess of Gloucester, widow of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, was granted a request by Elizabeth II to assume the style Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. Although not specifically created a Princess by letters patent, the Princess was entitled to style herself as a British princess. The main reason for the change was to distinguish herself from her daughter in law, HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, wife of HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

In 2003, TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex decided to style their daughter, Lady Louise Windsor in place of HRH The Princess Louise. This was a personal decision that was taken before the Earl and Countess married, and with the permission of the Queen.

In 2005, when Camilla Parker Bowles married HRH The Prince of Wales, she used the style Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall rather than Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, mainly due to the fact that the latter style was associated with Diana, Princess of Wales, the Prince of Wales's first wife.

Styling of princesses

• Daughters of sovereigns- HRH The Princess "X"
• Male-line granddaughters of sovereigns- HRH Princess "X" of "Y", where "Y" is the territorial designation of their father’s peerages, eg HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent.
• Wife of a son of the Sovereign or male line grandson of the Sovereign- "HRH Princess Husband's Christian Name" (if her husband is not a peer of the realm) or "HRH The Duchess/Countess of X." (otherwise)
• A Princess Royal is normally styled HRH The Princess Royal.

When a princess marries, she still takes on her husbands title. If the title is higher than the one she possesses, she will normally be styled using the female equivalent. If her husband has a peerage, she may well be styled, HRH Princess X, and then the female equivalent of the peerage, for example HRH The Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll or HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.

List of princesses of the blood since 1714

Title at birth	Other titles held	Year of birth	Year of death	Notes.
HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent	Hon Lady Ogilvy	1936		Granddaughter of George V
HRH Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh		1878	1942	Granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh
HH Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland		1882	1963	Great great granddaughter of George III, daughter of Prince Ernst (II) of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland
Lady Alexandra Duff	HH Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught	1891	1959	Granddaughter of George V, daughter of HRH Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife
HRH The Princess Alice	Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine	1843	1878	Daughter of Victoria
HRH Princess Alice of Albany	Countess of Athlone	1883	1981	Granddaughter of Victoria, daughter of HRH Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
HRH Princess Amelia		1783	1810	Daughter of George III
HSH Princess Amelia Sophia of Hanover	HRH The Princess Amelia Sophia	1711	1746	Daughter of George II
HRH Princess Anne of Edinburgh	Princess Royal	1950		Daughter of Elizabeth II
HSH Princess Anne of Hanover	Princess Royal	1709	1759	Daughter of George II
HRH Princess Augusta of Wales		1737	1813	Daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales
HRH Princess Augusta of Cambridge		1822	1916	Granddaughter of George III
HRH Princess Augusta Sophia		1768	1840	Daughter of George III
HRH The Princess Beatrice	HRH Princess Henry of Battenberg	1857	1944	Daughter of Queen Victoria
HRH Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh		1884	1966	granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh
HRH Princess Beatrice of York		1988		Granddaughter of Elizabeth II
HH Princess Caroline of Gloucester		1774	1775	Great granddaughter of King George II, daughter of HRH Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester
HSH Princess Caroline Elizabeth of Hanover	HRH The Princess Caroline Elizabeth	1713	1757	Daughter of George II
HRH Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales	HM Queen of Denmark and Norway	1751	1775	Daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales
HH Princess Caroline Mathilde of Albany	Countess of Castell Rüdenhausen	1912	1983	Great granddaughter of Victoria, daughter of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
HRH The Princess Charlotte	Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg	1766	1828	Daughter of George III
HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales		1796	1817	Daughter of George IV
HRH Princess Charlotte of Clarence		1819	1819	Daughter of William IV
HRH Princess Elizabeth of York	Duchess of Edinburgh	1926		Daughter of George VI, succeeded as Elizabeth II
HRH Princess Elizabeth		1770	1840	Daughter of George III
HRH Princess Elizabeth of Clarence		1820	1821	Daughter of William IV
HRH Princess Elizabeth Caroline of Wales		1740	1759	Daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales
HRH Princess Eugenie of York		1990		Granddaughter of Elizabeth II
HH Princess Fredrica of Hanover		1848	1926	Great granddaughter of George III, daughter of George V of Hanover
HH Princess Fredrica of Hanover and Brunswick-Luneburg		1917	1981	great great great granddaughter of George III, daughter of HH Prince Ernst August (III) of Cumberland and Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg
HRH Princess Fredrica of Clarence				daughter of William IV
HRH The Princess Helena	Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein	1846	1923	daughter of Queen Victoria
HRH The Princess Louisa	Queen of Denmark and Norway	1724	1751	daughter of George II
HRH Princess Louisa Anne of Wales		1749	1750	daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales
HRH Princess Louise of Wales	Princess Royal	1867	1931	daughter of Edward VII
HRH Princess Louise	Duchess of Argyll	1848	1939	Daughter of Queen Victoria
Lady Louise Windsor		2003		Granddaughter of Elizabeth II, daughter of HRH Prince Edward,Earl of Wessex
HRH Princess Margaret of York	Countess of Snowdon	1930	2002	Daughter of George VI, sister of Elizabeth II
HRH Princess Margaret of Connaught	Crown Princess of Sweden	1882	1920	Granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of HRH Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught
HRH Princess Marie of Edinburgh	Queen of Romania	1879	1938	Granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of HRH Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh
HH Princess Marie of Hanover		1849	1904	great granddaughter of George III, daughter of George V of Hanover
HH Princess Marie Louise of Hanover and Cumberland		1879	1948	Great great granddaughter of George III, daughter of Prince Ernst (II) of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland
HH Princess Mary of York	Princess Royal	1897	1965	Daughter of George V
HRH Princess Mary	Duchess of Gloucester	1776	1857	Daughter of George III
HRH Princess Mary		1723	1772	Daughter of George II
HRH Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge	Duchess of Teck	1833	1897	Granddaughter of George III, mother of Queen Mary
HRH Princess Maud of Wales	Queen Maud of Norway	1869	1938	Daughter of Edward VII, mother of King Olav V of Norway
Lady Maud Duff	HH Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk	1893	1945	Granddaughter of Edward VII, daughter of HRH Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife
HH Princess Olga of Hanover and Cumberland		1884	1958	Great great granddaughter of George III, daughter of Prince Ernst (II) of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland
HRH Princess Patricia of Connaught	Lady Patricia Ramsey	1886	1974	Granddaughter of Queen Victoria
HH Princess Sophia of Gloucester	HRH Princess Sophia of Gloucester	1773	1834	Great grandaughter of George II, granted style of HRH Princess Sophia of Gloucester
HRH Princess Sophia		1777	1848	Daughter of George III
HSH Princess Sophia of Hanover	HRH The Princess Sophia	1686	1757	Daughter of George I
HH Princess Sybilla of Albany	Princess of Sweden	1907	1972	Great granddaughter of Victoria, daughter of Prince Leopold Charles, Duke of Albany
HRH Princess Victoria of Kent	Empress of India	1819	1901	Granddaughter of George III, succeeded as Queen Victoria
HRH The Princess Victoria	Princess Royal Crown Princess of Prussia (and later Germany) The Empress Friedrich	1840	1901	Daughter of Queen Victoria, mother of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia
HRH Princess Victoria of Wales	HRH The Princess Victoria	1865	1935	Daughter of Edward VII
HRH Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh	Grand Duchess of Russia	1876	1936	Granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh

See also

• List of British princes
• List of British Monarchs
• British Royal Family

External links

• Titular Dignity of Prince in the British Royal Family Since 1714 (http://mypage.uniserve.ca/~canyon/prince.html)