If Harry's kids are born during Charles' reign will they be prince/princess? I read somewhere things were getting changed so they would just be lord/lady.
I think The Queen would have issued the same Letters Patent regardless of whether Catherine may be carrying twins. Prior to 1917, the children of the eldest son of The Prince of Wales enjoyed the rank of HRH under Letters Patent issued in 1898 by Queen Victoria.I guess we all realise that the Cambridges already know if it is going to be a child or twins...
The change is applicable to all future children of the eldest son of a Prince of Wales. If it was limited to William only, the LP would be worded differently "all children of HRH Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, etc.".Wait a moment it says "all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales". Does this Letters Patent then only apply to Prince William's children or automatically also to future generations like his grandchildren?
Currently, they would. But I predict they will not hold royal rank and use the style of children of a Duke ("Lord/Lady Mountbatten-Windsor"), similar to James and Louise Wessex.If Harry's kids are born during Charles' reign will they be prince/princess? I read somewhere things were getting changed so they would just be lord/lady.
No, because there is only "The" Prince of Wales at any one time. The LPs apply to the current and future holder of that title.If the Letters Patent meant all children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales from now on, wouldn't the wording be "children of the eldest son of a Prince of Wales" and not "children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales"? Doesn't the latter imply a specific (current) Prince of Wales?
You are correct. In the case of the eldest child of the POW being female, the 2012 Letters Patent as currently worded would not apply and this would have to be addressed by issuing new Letters Patent.Not sure if it really applies to future generations. What if the eldest son has an elder sister who will become Queen because of Equal Primogeniture? Then the children of the future Queen would not be Prince and Princess as long as they are grandchildren of the PoW whereas the children of her younger brother would bear the title and therefore outrank her children. Hypothetically of course but it could happen.
AS usually EIIR. you cut right to the chase and make this issue as clear as crystal. The arm chair politicians on the other hand make things as clear as mud. Thanks for another excellent commentI think in future this whole thing should, and probably will be, simplified...
I agree that the new LP is a stop-gap to cover just William's children until new rules come about in Charles' reign, otherwise this new LP could have stated something like this: "...the children of the eldest child of the Heir or Heiress Apparent." That would have covered every possibility.
I'm sorry, I still couldn't grasp the concept that prince William is a commoner prince. To me, he's royal and a prince. When he was created a duke, why did he used the duke title? Isn't a duke lower than a prince?