Will Princess Charlotte of Cambridge get the Princess Royal title?

[Mbruno]

As stated above I believe that bestowing the style 'Princess Royal' on Princess Charlotte will happen at a suitable time and in a suitable marriage. As to equal primogeniture for the aristocracy, I believe there is a very thick brick wall as to that notion.

The rules on the royal succession have changed for the crown. It is very notable that not only did that also apply to the aristocracy, but male entail remains, thereby rendering widows and daughters homeless . . . still!

Technically, I think entails have been abolished in British law. What may happen is that the estate may be held in trust by the title holder, but other family members normally also derive capital gains or other forms of income from the trust.



I would appreciate if someone with greater knowledge of UK property law could please clarify.

 

[Duke of Leaside]

I remember reading somewhere that with regard to Princess Anne (the present Princess Royal): The Queen had offered to make her Princess Royal sometime earlier than 1987 and Princess Anne refused. Possibly in line with the notion that she and her husband (Mark Phillips) didn't want any titles or styles for him or their children.

What changed in 1987 was that Anne and Mark's marriage was breaking down and Anne no longer wanted to be known as HRH The Princess Anne, Mrs. Mark Phillips.

Accepting the Princess Royal title was a convenient way of changing that without being too public about the marriage breakdown. She could of course have been styled HRH The Princess Royal, Mrs. Mark Phillips and presumably she would have been had everything been happy-smiley at home. Instead she changed her style to HRH The Princess Royal.

Later, after divorcing Phillips and marrying Tim Laurence in 1992, she kept the same style: HRH The Princess Royal.

After Laurence was knighted Anne could have been (and still could be) styled HRH The Princess Royal, Lady Laurence but I'm quite sure she won't ever adopt that style now and just stay with HRH The Princess Royal.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

I remember reading somewhere that with regard to Princess Anne (the present Princess Royal): The Queen had offered to make her Princess Royal sometime earlier than 1987 and Princess Anne refused. Possibly in line with the notion that she and her husband (Mark Phillips) didn't want any titles or styles for him or their children.

What changed in 1987 was that Anne and Mark's marriage was breaking down and Anne no longer wanted to be known as HRH The Princess Anne, Mrs. Mark Phillips.

Accepting the Princess Royal title was a convenient way of changing that without being too public about the marriage breakdown. She could of course have been styled HRH The Princess Royal, Mrs. Mark Phillips and presumably she would have been had everything been happy-smiley at home. Instead she changed her style to HRH The Princess Royal.

Later, after divorcing Phillips and marrying Tim Laurence in 1992, she kept the same style: HRH The Princess Royal.

After Laurence was knighted Anne could have been (and still could be) styled HRH The Princess Royal, Lady Laurence but I'm quite sure she won't ever adopt that style now and just stay with HRH The Princess Royal.

That is interesting. Just as a clarification: Removing the Mrs. Mark Phillips upon being given the title Princess Royal was in line with precedent. The official Gazette shows that the preceding Princesses Royal normally were styled HRH The Princess Royal, rather than HRH The Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood or HRH The Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife.

No, and strictly-speaking I don't think there's even a law requiring that titles be unique (there are two different earldoms of Mar, for example). There could be a dozen Princesses Royal and, though it would be silly, it would be perfectly lawful.

It was even traditional in certain abolished monarchies, such as Italy and Sicily, where all princes/princesses in the senior line held the title of Prince/ss Royal.

If Louis or any other younger sons of William are given a peerage, such as Duke, then I think Charlotte should be given one too.

Princess Royal is a style, not a title (peerage), so it wouldn't be the same.

alt.talk.royalty FAQ: British royalty and nobility

Yes, it would be the end of a 300-year old tradition but the now discarded male-preference succession to the Crown was an even older tradition.

An option that would continue the 300-year-old tradition while giving the same treatment to females and males would be to always confer the title Prince/ss of Wales on the eldest child of the Queen or King, the title/style Prince/ss Royal on the second child, and dukedoms on the other children.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

If Princess Charlotte is Princess Royal and marries a nobleman of Great Britain, she will take her husband's title. For example, if he is already an Earl, she would be Countess. If he is the heir of the Earl, she would be Viscountess. This can get confusing. It reminds me of Princess Mary being Viscountess Lascelles, Princess Royal, and Countess of Harewood.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

Technically, I think entails have been abolished in British law. What may happen is that the estate may be held in trust by the title holder, but other family members normally also derive capital gains or other forms of income from the trust.



I would appreciate if someone with greater knowledge of UK property law could please clarify.

Entails were abolished in the 50s so the issue is long over, a notable example is the 7th Duke of Portland removing the entails and gifting the assets such as Welbeck Abbey and valuable assets of the family to his daughters, leaving the next titleholder without the family home. Regarding capital gains etc. that depends on the wealth or lack of remaining in the family. Widows and daughters don’t end up homeless these days. Widows would usually move to a dower house, at least for those whose families have smaller homes on the estate.