British princess

• the legitimate daughters of a British Sovereign
• the legitimate male line granddaughters of a British sovereign.

Princesses of the blood royal and princesses by marriage

History

Styling of princesses

Princesses of the blood royal

• Daughter of a Sovereign: HRH The Princess N.''
• *The style HRH The Princess Royal is customarily granted by the Sovereign, when vacant, to the Sovereign's eldest daughter.
• Daughter of a son of a Sovereign: HRH Princess N of X, where X is the territorial designation of their father's senior peerage; e.g. HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent, HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales, HRH Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
• *Prior to Princess Charlotte, a daughter of the Prince of Wales: HRH Princess N
• *Prior to 1917, a daughter of a son of a son of a Sovereign: HH Princess N of X
• From 31 December 2012, daughter of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales: HRH Princess N of X.

Princesses by marriage

• Wife of a prince who has a peerage: HRH The Duchess/Countess of X, or, prior to 1917, possibly HH
• *Since 1996, divorced wife of a prince who held a peerage: N, Duchess/Countess of X.
• Wife of a son of a Sovereign, who has no peerage: HRH The Princess Husband.
• Wife of another prince who has no peerage: HRH Princess Husband of X.
• Prior to 1917, the wife of a prince in the third generation, who has no peerage: HH Princess Husband of X.

Exceptions

• There were only two historical princesses who would have been exceptions to the 1917 rule, but they died long before that. The sisters Sophia Matilda and Caroline Augusta Maria born in 1773 and 1774 were male line great-granddaughters of George II. All of the other exceptions were still alive in 1917 and were no longer permitted to use the style of HRH and Princess.

• In November 1905, King Edward VII allowed the two daughters of Louise, Princess Royal to use a princely title and the style of Highness. They were not entitled to the style of Royal Highness. The 1917 letters patent which stripped great-grandchildren of a British sovereign of the style of Highness with a princely title was complicated as it did not technically overrule Edward VII's letters patent, as the former practice was mostly an unspoken courtesy as opposed to a written rule. The elder sister, Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, was already married by that time, to Prince Arthur of Connaught: he was a male-line grandson of Victoria, and so entitled to use the style of Royal Highness. Alexandra was therefore styled Her Royal Highness Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife from her 1913 marriage for the rest of her life, and the 1917 letters patent did not change this. Her younger sister, Princess Maud, on the other hand, was unmarried in 1917. Until her 1923 marriage, she continued to use the title of "Princess" granted to her in 1905. Upon her marriage to Charles, Lord Carnegie, however, she chose to be known as Lady Maud Carnegie, dropping her princely title.
• Charles III had the style and title His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Edinburgh from birth in 1948, even though he was a female-line grandchild of the Sovereign, being born to the future Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, during the reign of Elizabeth's father, King George VI, who had no sons. George VI issued letters patent on 22 October 1948, granting the style to Elizabeth's children. Under the same exception, Anne, Princess Royal was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of Edinburgh from her birth in 1950 until her mother's accession in 1952.
• In 1961, when her son married, the Duchess of Kent asked Elizabeth II to extend the use of a princely title to precede her first name, in order to avoid confusion with her daughter-in-law, Katharine Worsley, the new Duchess of Kent. As she was born a princess of Greece and Denmark, this was not incredibly notable, although traditionally she would have been styled as Her Royal Highness The Dowager Duchess of Kent. After this she was styled as Her Royal Highness Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent.
• In 1974, the Duchess of Gloucester asked Elizabeth II for the same title as her sister-in-law, then Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, with a princely title preceding her first name. Unlike Princess Marina, Alice had never been a princess in her own right, thus this allowance was far more unusual. Instead of being referred to as Her Royal Highness The Dowager Duchess of Gloucester, as is customary, she became Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.
• In 2003, upon the request of Elizabeth II's youngest son, Edward, his children would be styled as the children of an earl, though still retaining their royal titles. The children would be able to decide if they would want to use the title once they turned eighteen. As male-line grandchildren of a British monarch, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and the James, Earl of Wessex, would traditionally enjoy a princely title and style.
• In December 2012, Elizabeth II issued letters patent that stated that all children born to the eldest child of the Prince of Wales, would enjoy a princely title and style, and not just the eldest son. Although in effect since 2012, it was not used in practice until the birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015.

List of princesses of the blood royal since 1714

List of princesses by marriage since 1714