British princess
This is a list of
British princesses from the accession of
King George I in
1714. This article deals with both princesses of the blood royal and women who become princesses upon marriage.
The use of the 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 . 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.
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 honour. 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 Lewis 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." This has so far applied to
HRH The Princess of Wales and
HRH The Duchess of York.
Since the passage of the
Royal Marriages Act 1772, there have been several instances in which princes of the blood contracted marriages in contravention of that act (which meant they were not legally married) 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 was 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."
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 regnant, 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 of Hanover, the princely titles were changed to follow the German practice. 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).
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 gazette 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 RN. This change in style and title did not affect Lady Patricia'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.
Upon their marriage in
1999,
The Earl of Wessex and
Sophie Rhys-Jones decided that their children would not style themselves as a Prince or Princess with the style Royal Highness. Hence, when their daughter
Louise was born in
2003, in place of HRH Princess Louise of Wessex she was styled The Lady Louise Windsor. This was a personal decision, and legally Lady Louise is a Princess of The United Kingdom with the style Royal Highness who chooses to be styled The Lady Louise Windsor.
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.
*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 husband's 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.
| Princess | Birth | Death | Comments | | Princess Sophia of Hanover | 1686 | 1757 | Daughter of George I |
| Princess Anne of Hanover | 1709 | 1759 | Daughter of George II |
| The Princess Amelia Sophia | 1711 | 1746 | Daughter of George II |
| The Princess Caroline Elizabeth | 1713 | 1757 | Daughter of George II |
| The Princess Mary | 1723 | 1772 | Daughter of George II |
| The Princess Louisa | 1724 | 1751 | daughter of George II |
| Princess Augusta Charlotte of Wales | 1737 | 1813 | Daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales |
| Princess Elizabeth Caroline of Wales | 1740 | 1759 | Daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales |
| Princess Louisa Anne of Wales | 1749 | 1750 | daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales |
| Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales | 1751 | 1775 | Daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales |
| The Princess Charlotte, Princess Royal | 1766 | 1828 | Daughter of George III |
| Princess Augusta Sophia | 1768 | 1840 | Daughter of George III |
| The Princess Elizabeth | 1770 | 1840 | Daughter of George III |
| Princess Sophia of Gloucester | 1773 | 1834 | Great granddaughter of George II, granted style of Princess Sophia of Gloucester |
| Princess Caroline of Gloucester | 1774 | 1775 | Great granddaughter of King George II, daughter of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester |
| The Princess Mary | 1776 | 1857 | Daughter of George III |
| The Princess Sophia | 1777 | 1848 | Daughter of George III |
| The Princess Amelia | 1783 | 1810 | Daughter of George III |
| Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales | 1796 | 1817 | Daughter of George IV |
| Princess Charlotte of Clarence | 1819 | 1819 | Daughter of Prince William, Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) |
| Princess Victoria of Kent | 1819 | 1901 | Granddaughter of George III, succeeded as Queen Victoria |
| Princess Elizabeth of Clarence | 1820 | 1821 | Daughter of Prince William, Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) |
| Princess Augusta of Cambridge | 1822 | 1916 | Granddaughter of George III |
| Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge | 1833 | 1897 | Granddaughter of George III, mother of Queen Mary |
| The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal | 1840 | 1901 | Daughter of Queen Victoria, mother of Wilhelm II of Germany |
| The Princess Alice | 1843 | 1878 | Daughter of Queen Victoria |
| The Princess Helena | 1846 | 1923 | daughter of Queen Victoria |
| Princess Frederica of Hanover | 1848 | 1926 | Great granddaughter of George III, daughter of George V of Hanover |
| The Princess Louise | 1848 | 1939 | Daughter of Queen Victoria |
| Princess Marie of Hanover | 1849 | 1904 | great granddaughter of George III, daughter of George V of Hanover |
| The Princess Beatrice | 1857 | 1944 | Daughter of Queen Victoria |
| The Princess Victoria | 1865 | 1935 | Daughter of Edward VII |
| The Princess Louise, Princess Royal | 1867 | 1931 | daughter of Edward VII |
| Princess Maud of Wales (later Queen Maud of Norway) | 1869 | 1938 | Daughter of Edward VII |
| Princess Marie of Edinburgh | 1875 | 1938 | Granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh |
| Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh | 1876 | 1936 | Granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh |
| Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh | 1878 | 1942 | Granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh |
| 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 |
| Princess Margaret of Connaught | 1882 | 1920 | Granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught |
| Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland | 1882 | 1963 | Great great granddaughter of George III, daughter of Prince Ernst (II) of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland |
| Princess Alice of Albany | 1883 | 1981 | Granddaughter of Victoria, daughter of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany |
| Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh | 1884 | 1966 | granddaughter of Queen Victoria, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh |
| Princess Olga of Hanover and Cumberland | 1884 | 1958 | Great great granddaughter of George III, daughter of Prince Ernst (II) of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland |
| Princess Patricia of Connaught | 1886 | 1974 | Granddaughter of Queen Victoria |
| Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife | 1891 | 1959 | Granddaughter of Edward VII, daughter of Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife |
| Princess Maud of Fife | 1893 | 1945 | Granddaughter of Edward VII, daughter of Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife |
| The Princess Mary, Princess Royal | 1897 | 1965 | Daughter of George V |
| Princess Sibylla of Albany | 1907 | 1972 | Great granddaughter of Victoria, daughter of Prince Leopold Charles, Duke of Albany |
| Princess Caroline Mathilde of Albany | 1912 | 1983 | Great granddaughter of Victoria, daughter of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany |
| Princess Fredrica of Hanover and Brunswick-Luneburg | 1917 | 1981 | great great great granddaughter of George III, daughter of Prince Ernst August (III) of Cumberland and Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg |
| The Princess Elizabeth | 1926 | Daughter of George VI, succeeded as Elizabeth II in 1952 |
| The Princess Margaret | 1930 | 2002 | Daughter of George VI, sister of Elizabeth II |
| Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy | 1936 | Granddaughter of George V, daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent |
| The Princess Anne, Princess Royal | 1950 | Daughter of Elizabeth II |
| Princess Beatrice of York | 1988 | Granddaughter of Elizabeth II, daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York |
| Princess Eugenie of York | 1990 | Granddaughter of Elizabeth II |
| Princess Louise of Wessex (styled The Lady Louise Windsor) | 2003 | Granddaughter of Elizabeth II, daughter of Prince Edward,Earl of Wessex |
*
British prince*
List of British Monarchs*
British Royal Family
