British prince


Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a royal title normally granted to sons and grandsons of reigning and past British monarchs, plus consorts of female monarchs. The title is granted by the reigning monarch, who is the fount of all honours, through the issuing of letters patent as an expression of the royal will.
Individuals holding the title of prince will usually also be granted the style of His Royal Highness.
When a British prince marries, his wife becomes a British princess; however, she is addressed by the feminine version of the husband's senior title on his behalf, either a princely title or a peerage. Traditionally, all wives of male members of the British royal family, the aristocracy, and members of the public take the style and title of their husbands. An example of this case is Princess Michael of Kent, the wife of King Charles III's first cousin once removed Prince Michael of Kent.
There is also the case when a princess of blood royal marries a British prince. She also becomes a princess by marriage and will be addressed in the same way. An example of this situation was the late Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife: when she married her mother's cousin, Prince Arthur of Connaught, she became Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife.
If a British prince has a peerage, then the princess is addressed by the feminine version of her husband's peer title; an example of this case is the wife of Prince William, who was officially styled His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge while his wife Catherine became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, omitting both the 'prince' and 'princess' titles and their first names. When William was then created Prince of Wales, that became the senior title held in his own right, and he and Catherine are styled His/Her Royal Highness The Prince/Princess of Wales.

History

Before 1714, the title of prince and the style of HRH was not customary in 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 King Edward I of England. In the Kingdom of Scotland, even though an honorific principality was created by King James VI, the heir-apparent was only referred to as Duke of Rothesay. Some others include John, brother of King Richard I and later King John, who is sometimes called Prince John.
After the accession of King George I of Great Britain, it became customary for the sons of the sovereign and grandsons of the sovereign in the male line to be titled Prince and styled His Royal Highness. Great-grandsons of the sovereign were princes styled His Highness.
Victoria issued letters patent in 1864 which formally confirmed the practice of calling children and male-line grandchildren Royal Highness with the titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names. The letters patent did not address the styling of great-grandchildren or further descendants as His/Her Highness or Prince or Princess.
Subsequent to 1864 some amendments regarding princes were made, with the issuance of specific letters patent changing the title and style of the following groups:
  • In 1898, the children of Prince George, Duke of York, the eldest living son of the Prince of Wales, were customarily titled princes, with the style of Highness, as great-grandchildren of Victoria in the male line. With letters patent dated 28 May 1898, the Crown granted the children of the eldest son of any Prince of Wales the style of Royal Highness.
  • In 1914, the children of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, a great-great-grandchild of George III, were granted the title of prince and the style Highness by King George V, in letters patent dated 17 June 1914.
  • In 1917, 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 and the discontinuance of the usage of the German titles of Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and the like.
  • Later that year, letters patent altered the rights to the title prince and the style Royal Highness. These letters patent, dated 30 November 1917, stated that "the children of any Sovereign of these Realms and the children of the sons of any such Sovereign ' and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales ' 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". It was also decreed in these letters that "grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line... shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes of these Our Realms". In addition the letters stated save as aforesaid the style title or attribute of Royal Highness, Highness or Serene Highness and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess shall not henceforth be assumed or borne by any descendant of any Sovereign of these Realms.
  • However, the former reigning Duke of Brunswick, head of the House of Hanover, refused to recognise the letters depriving his children of the British and Irish princely titles, and in 1931, he issued a decree, in the capacity of the head of the House of Hanover and senior male-line descendant of George III, purporting to state that the members of the former Hanoverian royal family would continue to bear the title of Prince of Great Britain and Ireland with the style of Royal Highness. This title and style remains in use to this day by his descendants, including the current head of the House of Hanover, Prince Ernst August. This decree is not legally recognised in the United Kingdom or Ireland, and the titles are used as titles of pretence. Since, however, the Hanovers are born in the male line of George II, they were bound by the Royal Marriages Act 1772 until repealed in 2015. Thus, before his marriage to Princess Caroline of Monaco, Ernst August requested, and Queen Elizabeth II issued on 11 January 1999, an Order in Council: "My Lords, I do hereby declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between His Royal Highness Prince Ernst August Albert of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg and Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite of Monaco..." Without the royal assent, the marriage would have been void in the United Kingdom.
  • After the abdication crisis of 1936, King George VI issued letters patent regranting his elder brother his style as son of a sovereign, whilst expressly denying the style of Royal Highness to his wife and descendants. The marriage, however, had no issue.
  • On 22 October 1948, George VI issued letters patent allowing the children of his daughter Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and son-in-law Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to assume princely titles and the style Royal Highness; 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 her son was styled HRH Prince Charles of Edinburgh until his mother's accession. Otherwise the children would have been styled Earl of Merioneth and Lady Anne Mountbatten, respectively.
  • Elizabeth II issued letters patent, dated 22 February 1957, creating Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Prince Philip had been born a Prince of Greece and Denmark, titles he renounced upon going through the naturalisation process, unaware that he was already a British subject by virtue of the Sophia Naturalization Act 1705.
  • On the wedding day of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, it was announced by Buckingham Palace that Elizabeth II, in agreement with their wishes, had declared that their children would be styled as children of an earl, and not as Prince/Princess of the United Kingdom with the style Royal Highness.
  • On 31 December 2012, Elizabeth II declared that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, at that time Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, would have the title Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness.. Whereas, his daughter, born on 2 May 2015, was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. And his second son, born on 23 April 2018, was styled His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.
  • On 3 November 2025, Charles III issued letters patent declaring that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shall no longer be entitled to the style of Royal Highness and the dignity of Prince.

Styles of British princes

  • Sovereign's heir apparent if Prince of Wales – HRH The Prince of Wales.
  • Sovereign's sons with peerage – HRH The Prince X, Duke of Y, e.g., HRH The Prince Henry, Duke of Sussex.
  • Sovereign's sons without peerage – HRH The Prince X, e.g., HRH The Prince John.
  • Sovereign's male line grandsons with peerage – HRH Prince "X", Duke of "Y", e.g., HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
  • Sovereign's male line grandsons without peerage – HRH Prince "X" of "Y", e.g., HRH Prince Michael of Kent.
  • Sovereign's great-grandsons whose father is the oldest son of the heir apparent – HRH Prince "X" of "Y", e.g., His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge before 2022.

List of British princes since 1714

The male-line descendants of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, head of the House of Hanover bear the title Prince or Princess of the United Kingdom with the style of Royal Highness as a secondary title of pretence.
Of the 58 British princes listed here, two are spouses of a reigning queen, eight lost their title after World War I, and one lost title in 2025.
– In letters patent dated 20 November 1917, King George V restricted the title of Prince to the children of the sovereign, the children of the sovereign's sons, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales.
– By an Order in Council dated 28 March 1919, as authorised by the Titles Deprivation Act 1917, King George V suspended the British peerage titles and honours of those who sided with Germany in World War I.
Full nameArmsLifespanRoyal lineageRightNotes
George Augustus
later, King George II		1683–1760Only son of King George ICreated Prince by the sovereign
Frederick Louis1707–17511st son of King George IICreated Prince by the sovereign
George William1717–17182nd son of King George IIPrince from birth
William Augustus1721–17653rd son of King George IIPrince from birth
George William Frederick
later, King George III		1738–1820Prince from birth
Edward Augustus1739–1767Prince from birth
William Henry1743–1805Prince from birth
Henry Frederick1745–1790Prince from birth
Frederick William1750–1765Prince from birth
George Augustus Frederick
later, King George IV		1762–18301st son of King George IIIPrince from birth
Frederick Augustus1763–18272nd son of King George IIIPrince from birth
William Henry
later, King William IV		1765–18373rd son of King George IIIPrince from birth
Prince [Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn|Edward Augustus]1767–18204th son of King George IIIPrince from birth
Ernest Augustus
Later, Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover		1771–18515th son of King George IIIPrince from birth
Augustus Frederick1773–18436th son of King George IIIPrince from birth
Adolphus Frederick1774–18507th son of King George IIIPrince from birth
Octavius1779–17838th son of George IIIPrince from birth
Alfred1780–17829th son of King George IIIPrince from birth
William Frederick1776–1834Prince from birth
George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus
Later, George V, King of Hanover		1819–1878Prince from birth
George William Frederick Charles1819–1904Prince from birth
Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel1819–1861Husband of Queen VictoriaCreated Prince by the sovereign
Albert Edward
Later, King Edward VII		1841–19101st son of Queen VictoriaPrince from birth
Alfred Ernest Albert1844–19002nd son of Queen VictoriaPrince from birth
Arthur William Patrick Albert1850–19423rd son of Queen VictoriaPrince from birth
Leopold George Duncan Albert1853–18844th son of Queen VictoriaPrince from birth
Ernest Augustus William Adolphus George Frederick1845–1923Prince from birth
Albert Victor Christian Edward1864–18921st son of King Edward VIIPrince from birth
George Frederick Ernest Albert
Later, King George V		1865–19362nd son of King Edward VIIPrince from birth
Alexander John Charles Albert1871–18713rd son of King Edward VIIPrince from birth
Alfred Alexander William Ernest Albert1874–1899Prince from birth
Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert1883–1938Prince from birth
Carl Eduard Georg Albert Leopold1884–1954Prince from birth
Georg Wilhelm Christian Albert Edward Alexander Friedrich Waldemar Ernst Adolf1880–1912Prince from birth
Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Georg Peter Waldemar1885–1901Prince from birth
Ernst August Christian Georg1887–1953Prince from birth
Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David
later, King Edward VIII		1894–19721st son of King George VPrince from birth
Albert Frederick Arthur George
later, King George VI		1895–19522nd son of King George VPrince from birth
Henry William Frederick Albert1900–19743rd son of King George VPrince from birth
George Edward Alexander Edmund1902–19424th son of King George VPrince from birth
John Charles Francis1905–19195th son of King George VPrince from birth
Alastair Arthur1914–1943Prince from birth
Johann Leopold William Albert Ferdinand Victor1906–1972Prince from birth
Dietmar Hubertus Friedrich Wilhelm Philipp1909–1943Prince from birth
Ernest Augustus of Hanover (born 1914)|Ernst August Georg Wilhelm Christian Ludwig Franz Joseph Nikolaus Oskar]1914–1987Created Prince by the sovereign
George Wilhelm Ernst August Friedrich Axel1915–2006Prince from birth
Philip1921–2021Husband of Queen Elizabeth IICreated Prince by the sovereign
William Henry Andrew Frederick1941–1972Prince from birth
Richard Alexander Walter George1944–presentPrince from birth
Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick1935–presentPrince from birth
Michael George Charles Franklin1942–presentPrince from birth
Charles Philip Arthur George
later, King Charles III		1948–present1st son of Queen Elizabeth IIPrince from birth
Andrew Albert Christian Edward1960–present2nd son of Queen Elizabeth IIPrince from birth
Edward Antony Richard Louis1964–present3rd son of Queen Elizabeth IIPrince from birth
William Arthur Philip Louis1982–presentPrince from birth
Henry Charles Albert David1984–presentPrince from birth
James Alexander Philip Theo2007–presentPrince from birth
George Alexander Louis2013–presentPrince from birth
Louis Arthur Charles2018–presentPrince from birth
Archie Harrison2019–presentPrince since the accession of his grandfatherHolds the title 'Prince Archie of Sussex'.