British prince Totally Explained

Everything about British Prince totally explained

This is a list of British princes from the accession of George I in 1714. The title of prince is at the will of the sovereign, who can both grant and revoke the title. Individuals holding the title of prince will usually also be styled "His Royal Highness" (HRH) or formerly "His Highness" (HH). The sovereign grants the titles of prince and styles of HRH or HH through the use of Letters Patent, Orders in Council, or by another expression of the royal will. The wife of a British prince will usually take the title and style of her husband.

History

Prior to 1714, the title of prince and the style of HRH wasn't 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 Edward I of England. While in the Kingdom of Scotland, even though a honorific principality was created by James I, the heir was only referred to as Duke of Rothesay. Some others include John, brother of Richard the Lionheart and later King John, who is sometimes called Prince John.
After the accession of George I, 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 (abbreviated HRH). Great-grandsons of the sovereign were princes styled His Highness (abbreviated HH). This wasn't a legal creation, but more customary, and in line with George I’s Hanoverian background. It also allowed the creation as the Royal Family of those in immediate line of succession to the throne, with royal titles and living in close proximity.
The titles of prince and princess for members of the Royal Family were used until Queen Victoria issued letters patent in 1864 which confirmed the practice regarding children and male-line grandchildren. Subsequently 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 Queen 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 Prince Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick, a great-great-grandchild of George III, were granted the title of prince and the style Highness by 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. Later that year, new letters patent altered the rights to the title prince and the style Royal Highness. These second 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 (as per the above Letters Patent of 1864) and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (a modification of the Letters Patent of 1898) 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". Also decreed in these letters was 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" (for example Lord or Lady before their Christian name) – as collateral damage resulting from this decree, the Duke of Brunswick and his children were denied the title of prince. Both 1917 letters patent remain in force today, excepting a few amendments and creations noted.

After the abdication crisis of 1936, George VI issued letters patent (dated 27 May 1937) retroactively regranting The Duke of Windsor his style as son of a Sovereign, whilst expressly denying the title of prince and style Royal Highness to his descendants. The marriage, however, had no issue.

On 22 October 1948, George VI issued letters patent allowing the children of his son-in-law and daughter, The Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, to assume princely titles and the style Royal Highness; they wouldn't have been entitled to them ordinarily, as grandchildren in the female line, until their mother ascended the throne as Elizabeth II. Thus the current Prince of Wales was styled HRH Prince Charles of Edinburgh until his mother’s accession.

Elizabeth II issued letters patent, dated 22 February 1957, creating The Duke of Edinburgh a Prince of the United Kingdom. He had been granted the style Royal Highness in 1947 by George VI prior to his wedding to Princess Elizabeth.

On the wedding day of The Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones it was announced by Buckingham Palace on the specific order of Earl and Countess of Wessex that their children would be styled as children of an earl, and not as Princes of the United Kingdom with the style Royal Highness. The children of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn, may, theoretically, be prince and princess, and it's oft asserted that they may be styled as such when they reach majority. However, there's no official word on their status, so this is pure conjecture.

Styles of British Princes

Sons of sovereigns - HRH The Prince "X", eg HRH The Prince Edward

Grandchildren - HRH Prince "X" of "Y", where Y is the territorial designation of their father’s peerages, eg HRH Prince Michael of Kent

Prior to Prince Albert Victor, a son of the Prince of Wales - HRH Prince "X"

Great-grandchildren - HH Prince "X" of "Y" (until 1917, as described above).

The Prince of Wales is normally styled HRH The Prince of Wales,

and royal peers, HRH The Duke/Earl of Y. Royal peers remain princes, however. Wives of British princes take on their husbands' titles. If the prince has a peerage, the wife will become HRH and the female equivalent of the peerage rank, eg HRH The Countess of Wessex. If the prince has no peerage, as in the case of HRH Prince Michael of Kent, the wife will become HRH and will take the title Princess with her husband's name, eg HRH Princess Michael of Kent.
Following the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker Bowles on 9 April 2005 his new wife uses the style HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, using one of his peerage titles, instead of Princess of Wales.
These formal styles are not often used in the media or by the general public. The terms "Prince Charles", "Prince Andrew", "Prince Edward", "Princess Anne", "Princess Diana" and suchforth are most commonly heard, even though the persons involved may never have held that formal shorthand style, or in the lattermost case, the title at all.

List of British Princes since 1714

Title at birth	Other titles held	Year of birth	Year of death	Notes
Duke Georg August of Brunswick-Lüneburg	Prince Georg August of Hanover; Hereditary Prince of Hanover; The Prince George; Prince of Wales	1683	1760	son of George I, succeeded as George II
Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Hanover	The Prince Frederick; Duke of Cornwall; Prince of Wales	1707	1751	son of George II
Prince George William		1717	1718	son of George II
Prince William	The Prince William; Duke of Cumberland	1721	1765	son of George II
Prince George	Duke of Edinburgh; Prince of Wales	1738	1820	son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, succeeded as George III
Prince Edward	Duke of York	1739	1767	son of Frederick, Prince of Wales
Prince William	Duke of Gloucester	1743	1805	son of Frederick, Prince of Wales
Prince Henry	Duke of Cumberland	1745	1790	son of Frederick, Prince of Wales
Prince Frederick		1750	1765	son of Frederick, Prince of Wales
The Prince George, Duke of Cornwall	Prince of Wales; Prince Regent	1762	1830	son of George III, succeeded as George IV
The Prince Frederick	Duke of York	1763	1827	son of George III
The Prince William	Duke of Clarence	1765	1837	son of George III, succeeded as William IV
The Prince Edward	Duke of Kent	1767	1820	son of George III, father of Queen Victoria
The Prince Ernest Augustus		1771	1851	son of George III
The Prince Augustus Frederick	Duke of Sussex	1773	1843	son of George III
The Prince Adolphus	Duke of Cambridge	1774	1850	son of George III
Prince William of Gloucester	Duke of Gloucester	1776	1834	great-grandson of George II, son of HRH Prince William, Duke of Gloucester
The Prince Octavius		1779	1783	son of George III
The Prince Alfred		1780	1782	son of George III
Prince George of Cambridge	Duke of Cambridge	1819	1904	grandson of George III, son of Prince Adolphus
Prince George of Cumberland	Duke of Cumberland; Crown Prince of Hanover; King of Hanover	1819	1878	grandson of George III, son of Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield	Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; The Prince Consort	1819	1861	husband of Queen Victoria, granted style of HRH on 6 February 1840 and then the style of "Prince Consort", on 29 June 1857.
The Prince Albert Edward, Duke of Cornwall	Prince of Wales; Emperor of India	1841	1910	son of Queen Victoria, succeeded as Edward VII
The Prince Alfred	Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	1844	1900	son of Queen Victoria
Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover and Cumberland	Crown Prince of Hanover; Duke of Cumberland; titular King of Hanover	1845	1923	great-grandson of George III, son of George V of Hanover
The Prince Arthur	Duke of Connaught	1850	1942	son of Queen Victoria
The Prince Leopold	Duke of Albany	1853	1884	son of Queen Victoria
Prince Albert Victor of Wales	Duke of Clarence	1864	1892	son of Prince Albert Edward, later King Edward VII
Prince George of Wales	Duke of York; Duke of Cornwall; Prince of Wales; Emperor of India	1865	1936	son of Edward VII, succeeded as George V
Prince (Alexander) John of Wales		1871	1871	son of Edward VII
Prince Alfred of Edinburgh	Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	1874	1899	grandson of Queen Victoria, son of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Prince George William of Hanover and Cumberland		1880	1912	great-great-grandson of George III, son of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover
Prince Arthur of Connaught		1883	1938	grandson of Queen Victoria
Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany	Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	1884	1954	grandson of Queen Victoria
Prince Christian of Hanover and Cumberland		1885	1901	great great grandson of George III, son of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover
Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover and Cumberland	Duke of Brunswick	1887	1953	great-great-grandson of George III, son of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover
Prince Edward of York	Prince Edward of Wales; The Prince Edward; Duke of Cornwall; Prince of Wales; Emperor of India; Duke of Windsor	1894	1972	son of George V, succeeded as Edward VIII, abdicated and resumed princely title
Prince Albert of York	Prince Albert of Wales; The Prince Albert; Duke of York	1895	1952	son of George V, succeeded as George VI
Prince Henry of York	Prince Henry of Wales; The Prince Henry; Duke of Gloucester	1900	1974	son of George V
Prince George of Wales	The Prince George; Duke of Kent	1902	1942	son of George V
Prince John of Wales	The Prince John	1905	1919	son of George V
John Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha		1906	1972	great-grandson of Queen Victoria, son of Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany
Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha		1909	1943	great-grandson of Queen Victoria, son of Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany
Prince Ernest Augustus, Hereditary Duke of Brunswick	Prince of Hanover	1914	1987	great-great-great-grandson of George III, son of Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick
Prince Alastair of Connaught	Duke of Connaught	1914	1943	great-grandson of Queen Victoria, son of Prince Arthur of Connaught
Prince George William of Hanover		1915	2006	great-great-great-grandson of George III, son of Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick
Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark	The Prince Philip; Duke of Edinburgh	1921		husband of Elizabeth II, styled HRH upon marriage in 1948, and created Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957
Prince Edward of Kent	Duke of Kent	1935		grandson of George V, son of Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince William of Gloucester		1941	1972	grandson of George V, son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Michael of Kent		1942		grandson of George V, son of Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince Richard of Gloucester	Duke of Gloucester	1944		grandson of George V, son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Charles of Edinburgh	The Prince Charles; Duke of Cornwall; Duke of Rothesay; Prince of Wales	1948		son and heir apparent of Elizabeth II
The Prince Andrew	Duke of York	1960		son of Elizabeth II
The Prince Edward	Earl of Wessex	1964		son of Elizabeth II
Prince William of Wales		1982		son of Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Henry of Wales	"Prince Harry"	1984		son of Charles, Prince of Wales
Viscount Severn (James)*		2007		Grandson of Elizabeth II, son of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex *styled as Viscount Severn per his parents' wishes

Common names

Several names have been used repeatedly:

George is used no fewer than twenty-one times – including six Kings George; Edward VII; Prince George, Duke of Kent and, currently, Charles, Prince of Wales and Prince Michael of Kent

Frederick occurs twenty times – including Frederick, Prince of Wales; Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Kings George III, IV, V and VI

William is borne by nineteen princes – Prince William, Duke of Cumberland; George III; William IV and, currently, Prince William of Wales among them

No fewer than fifteen princes are named Albert, for the Prince Consort – including Edward VII and George VI, who were both known as "Prince Albert"; George V; Edward VIII; Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, and, currently, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Henry of WalesFurther Information

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