Why Diana was a princess, and Camilla, Meghan and Kate were the Duchess
'27.09.2020'
Source: TheCrowns
Diana is known to everyone as a princess. At the same time, the second wife of Prince Charles, as well as his daughters-in-law Kate and Megan, are just a duchess. Why is that? Tells TheCrowns.
Why "Princess Kate" is wrong
A bit of history: Just 60 years ago, if Jane was married to John Smith, she was officially called Mrs. John Smith. The standard convention of using a husband's name was dropped as sexist around the 1960s.
Royals adhere to traditions that go back centuries. And these traditions say that the wives of the princes - Kate, Megan and Camilla - can still be called princesses, but only with a certain appeal, to which they are unlikely to agree.
Are you ready?
- Kate - “Her Royal Highness Prince William”.
- Meghan - “Her Royal Highness Prince Henry”.
- Camilla - “Her Royal Highness Prince Charles”.
This is the correct address, but it is almost never used.
There is one exception in the royal family. Maria Christina, née Baroness von Reibniz, wife of Michael of Kent, cousin of Elizabeth II. For her, this is the only option. Her husband has no other titles. She is forced to call herself “Maria Christina, Princess Michael of Kent”.
She cannot use her name Maria Cristina with the addition of "princess" without her husband's name, because she received her title in marriage.
On the subject: Princess Diana's sister could have become the wife of Prince Charles, but ruined everything in one interview.
Prince is not the highest title in the royal family
Because of Disney movies, most people think that prince and princess are the highest royal titles, but they are not. Princes and princesses are born, and this is the main difference from all other titles.
The highest ranked title in Britain is the Duke. Therefore, wives use the feminine version of their husband's ducal title along with the first name. An example would be Her Royal Highness Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.
The titles of Prince and Princess date back to 1714, when George I, who was born in Hanover (present-day Germany), was crowned British monarch. He brought from the continent the tradition of calling the heirs "princes".
Prior to the birth of Queen Victoria in 1819, the title was given to 26 children of monarchs, 12 male grandchildren and 3 male great-grandchildren (41 in total).
After 1819 and until 1917, the title was given to 25 princes and 28 princesses of royal blood (53 in total). The rules were tightened in December 1917. Then the three grandsons of Kaiser Wilhelm received the titles of British prince and princess during the First World War (1914-1917).
Since 1917 there are only 12 princes left in England and only 7 princesses of royal blood. King George V stripped everyone who opposed Britain's titles.
At the moment, only two people do not have the title of prince or princess. These are the children of Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth, who have been stripped of their titles by their parents.
Prince of Wales - Title Exception
The title "Prince of Wales" is different from the rest. It has been invested for the English heir to the throne since about 1301. It cannot be obtained automatically or inherited. Each time it is assigned by the monarch.
When Diana married, she used the female version of her husband's highest title: “Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales”. Not "Princess Diana", this title was invented by the media and it has become familiar, although not true.
On the subject: Princess Diana died 23 years ago: why Elizabeth II was condemned for her reaction to the death of her daughter-in-law
The last person to use the title “Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales” before Diana was Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother, Mary of Teck. She used it from November 9, 1901 to May 6, 1910. Given the 7 decades during which this title was not used, the public began to associate him exclusively with Diana.
Charles and Camilla were married on April 9, 2005. When this happened, the public was still mourning Diana and was ill-disposed towards Camille. Today the resistance is much weaker, but she hesitates to accept the title that used to belong to Diana.
Camilla uses the feminine version of Charles' daughter title, “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall”.
