How to Earn the Official Title of Princess
Who do you name a princess? Is she a little girl all dressed up in a beautiful princess dress with a jeweled tiara and special shoes? Of course she is! She might look like a princess in all the fancy garb, but how does she officially earn the title of princess? Does the title come only to those that marry a prince, or are there other means by which you can hold that title? Both Princess Diana and Sarah, Duchess of York were each married to a prince, but held different titles – what was the difference?
In keeping with British custom, women holding the title of princess are now called “Her Royal Highness.” Since around 1917 the title “Princess” and the use of the term “Her Royal Highness” have been designated to the following people: A British prince’s wife, a British King or Queen’s legitimate daughters and the legitimate male line granddaughters of a British King or Queen – those women who are potential successors to the throne.
Unless married into the family, those women will bear the title of “The Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” and the moniker “Her Royal Highness” from the day they are born until the day they die. Women that marry into the Royal Family through the male son of the King or Queen or the male line grandson of the King or Queen are given the moniker “Royal Highness” and that stays with them even if they become widowed. But does the same hold true if a prince and princess divorce? In 1996 Queen Elizabeth II declared that any woman who divorces from a Prince of the United Kingdom would not be able to keep her moniker of “Her Royal Highness.” This declaration came to realization around the time of the highly publicized divorces between Prince Charles and Princess Diana and the Duke of York Andrew and the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson.
You might be wondering why Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson had different titles when they were each married to a prince. Diana Spencer married Charles Philip Arthur George, Queen Elizabeth’s first born and heir to the throne, in 1981. As soon as Diana married Charles she became Diana, Princess of Wales because Charles was the Prince of Wales when she married him. It is tradition that a woman who marries a prince will not use the title of Princess and then her first name. Princess Diana is an exception to the rule because she was called Princess Diana so often by the press instead of Princess of Wales that ”Princess” has become an acceptable title used by official sources, such as the Royal Website and especially in the media. The media has done the same with Catherine, calling her Princess Catherine when in actuality her title is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
It becomes a different story when a woman marries the Prince of Wales (the title given to the next in line to the British throne) when compared to a Duke or an Earl. When a woman marries the Prince of Wales she automatically becomes the Princess of Wales. When marrying an earl or duke, the wife becomes “Her Royal Highness the Countess or Duchess of X”. So since Sarah Ferguson married Prince Andrew, Duke of York, her office title became Sarah, Duchess of York.
The only daughter of Queen Elizabeth, Ann Elizabeth Alice Louise, is referred to as Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal because she is the only daughter of the Queen. The daughter of any King or Queen is addressed as Her Royal Highness The Princess “X”, but because Princess Ann is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth she goes by the Princess Royal.
When it comes to royalty and the Royal Family, it is very different from what we are used to in the United States. Here in the United States, it is a woman’s personal choice whether or not to take her husband’s last name when she marries. Some women don’t take their husband’s last name, and instead, keep their maiden name throughout their marriage. In the United States you’re typically still accepted into your partner’s family, but it’s a whole different ballgame when you’re joining the Royal Family. Taking on the name of the royal family is assumed to be a great gift that comes with privileges. It used to be a lot simpler to manage the titles of princess, duchess or countess, but now with divorce and remarriage there are exceptions that come into play and new decisions are being made about titles and who gets to hold them and under what circumstances.
Since divorce is becoming more widespread, a person’s title may get a little confusing and often muddled with history and different people’s opinions. Prince Charles and the drama surrounding his marriages is a good example. When Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in April of 2005, she automatically was the new holder of the title Princess of Wales, but because of Princess Diana’s association with that title, Camilla prefers to go by the title Duchess of Cornwall. Prince Charles is also the Duke of Cornwall, making Camilla’s title acceptable. She also holds the other titles of Countess of Chester and Duchess of Rothesay, which is the title she uses when in Scotland.
Even though becoming a princess would be a fairy tale to most, in reality receiving the official title is more difficult than winning the lottery. Here in America, we don’t have a royal family, but we give out unofficial titles to our own version of royalty – celebrities. Aretha Franklin is our Queen of Soul, Oprah is the Queen of Daytime Television, and Elvis is just the King. We just hand out these titles because they stick and they’re catchy, but in the United Kingdom there are certain and strict criteria that you must fit in order to hold your title. I think I’m good with my given name for now.
This article is courtesy of Everything Princesses – your top source for all things princess. Check us out online if you’re looking for princess dresses or room décor for your regal relative.
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