News Article
I would also like to remind everyone who keeps referencing an article that William requested that Catherine to be made a Princess in her own right. These are the same newspapers who reported that Carole Middleton had met the Queen at William's graduation, and that Jay Z or Snoop Dog were going to perform at the reception. Plus a lot of other rumours.
I read a Time Magazine article dated
27 December 1948, when the name Prince Charles for the 1 month old baby was revealed to the world. The article said that he would probably rule as King George VII. Yet you often read an article that says that Charles is thinking about ruling as King George (as if it happened yesterday).
In a similar manner, I think they made a decision to title Prince Edward with a temporary Earldom so that Phillip could have someone inherit his title a long time ago. Phillip was very interested in leaving a legacy. They made the decision to hyphenate the surnames of their common descendants in 1960.
Same way with the question of what to call Prince William's wife. When William was born the Queen was age 56, and she figured she would be alive for his wedding. They may have made a decision decades ago.
Just a quick list of every single one of the 28 British Princes that were married
excluding
A) marriages in controversion to the royal marriages act,
B) morgantic marriages,
C) the marriages after their status as Prince had been revoked in 1917
D) the two cases of British princes who married their cousins who were born a princess of the royal blood.
E) the marriage of King George III who was already a king
F) the Wallis Simpson marriage. She never used the title of Princess
1 ) 1683 Prince of Wales, *Hereditary Prince of Hanover (future King George II)
2 ) 1707 Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall (died before becoming king)
3 ) 1743 Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
4 ) 1745 Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn (Marriage to a commoner caused Royal Marriages Act 1772)
5 ) 1763 Duke of York and Albany
6 ) 1762 Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall (future King George IV)
7 ) 1771 Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale,*King of Hanover
8 ) 1767 Duke of Kent and Strathearn (father of Queen Victoria)
9 ) 1765 Duke of Clarence and St Andrews (future King William IV)
10 ) 1774 Duke of Cambridge
11 ) 1819 Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, *Crown Prince of Hanover, *King of Hanover.
[
12 ) 1841 Prince of Wales, Emperor of India (future King Edward VII)
13 ) 1845 Crown Prince of Hanover; Duke of Cumberland, *titular King of Hanover (
Titles revoked in 1917)
14 ) 1844 Duke of Edinburgh,*Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
15 ) 1850 Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
16 ) 1853 Duke of Albany (first hemophiliac)
]
17 ) 1865 Prince of Wales, Duke of York, Duke of Cornwall, Emperor of India (future King George V)
18 ) 1884 *Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. (
Titles revoked 1917, the Nazi Prince)
19 ) 1887 Duke of Brunswick. (
Titles revoked in 1917)
[
20 ) 1895 Duke of York (future King George VI)
21 ) 1900 Duke of Gloucester
22 ) 1902 Duke of Kent
]
23 ) 1935 Duke of Kent
24 ) 1942
Prince Michael
25 ) 1944 Duke of Gloucester
26 ) 1948 Prince of Wales; Duke of Cornwall
27 ) 1960 Duke of York
28 ) 1964 Earl of Wessex
Princess Michael is the unique case out of all the wives. She is the only one who was stuck with her husbands first name for their whole married life.
History would seem to say that Prince William will be made a Duke before his marriage. But given media sensibilities, and the fact that she will be observed by a billion people, personally I think they should change tradition and formally give Catherine the title that people will want to call her.
Queen Elizabeth II changed tradition by making Prince Edward an Earl, and not a Duke.
King George V changed tradition in 1917 by excluding the great grandsons of a monarch via a male line. By doing this change he was able to remove the title of British Prince from 6 German men (some were babies). The only British Prince to lose his title was 3 years old. When he grew older he used the title of
Earl of Macduff.
The Nazi Prince Charles)