Diana's Styles and Titles

[Iluvbertie]

Originally Posted by royal_enthusiast

William could still ask them to be there, no one is going to tell the King what he can and can't do.

The government of the day tell the monarch what he/she can and can't do all the time. The monarch has less freedom than any other person in the UK - no freedom of speech, very little freedom of movement, no freedom of religion for instance. They have to invite to stay with them whomever the government tells them to invite and they have to visit places the government tells them to go.

If the government of the day objected to someone appearing on the balcony then they wouldn't appear at all - the government is in charge not the monarch.

[Osipi]

If Diana remarried, she would lose totally her "Princess of Wales" courtesy styling. The way she was styled as Diana, Princess of Wales denoted that she was a *former* spouse of The Prince of Wales. After her divorce, if I'm not mistaken, she was no longer Princess Charles.

So it is correct to state that Diana wouldn't have any kind of title or styling as "princess" no matter who her second marriage was to (unless he was a prince of course).

[Iluvbertie]

Originally Posted by CyrilVladisla

If Diana had married a foreign nobleman with a title, she would have his title as the spouse of his rank. Would her title of Princess still be higher than her married title of nobility?

She was never a Princess in her own right but only as the wife of a Prince. As she had divorced that Prince she had stopped being a Princess at the same time so any subsequent marriage wouldn't have affected her title of Princess as she hadn't held such a title since 1996.

After her divorce she was styled as the divorced wife of the Prince of Wales and had she remarried she would have lost that right as well and so only had the titles/styles of her husband and her own birth titles.

e.g. if she had married a Mr John Smith she would have been Lady Diana Smith (correctly Lady John Smith but most people don't get that - they accept a woman taking her husband's titles other than when there is no title to take and then expect her to keep her own name and add his surname ...). 'Lady' because that was he own title as the daughter of an Earl and no one could take that from her. Had she married a Baron she would have become a Baroness etc.

[Countessmeout]

Its simply tradition, not law/rule that a women be referred to by her husband's name. The BRF simply keeps to certain traditions. Posters on the other hand realize custom and etiquette have moved on. Some posters of course wish the world wouldn't move past the 50s

Diana was a Lady in her own right. It would have been wrong, even under old etiquette, to refer to her, if she married John Smith, as Lady John Smith. It would be suggesting her husband was Lord John Smith and she gained her title from him. Which is false. Her title was her own courtesy title, because of her birth.

Like Lady Honor Montagu, Lady Catherine Valentine......and many other married daughters of the aristocracy. Even older generations. In practice the Duchess of Northumberland is either The Duchess of Northumberland, or Jane Percy.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Iluvbertie

She
e.g. if she had married a Mr John Smith she would have been Lady Diana Smith (correctly Lady John Smith but most people don't get that - they accept a woman taking her husband's titles other than when there is no title to take and then expect her to keep her own name and add his surname ...). 'Lady' because that was he own title as the daughter of an Earl and no one could take that from her. Had she married a Baron she would have become a Baroness etc.

If Diana married a Mr John Smith, she would correctly be titled Lady Diana Smith.. not Lady John Smith... If she married Lord John Brown, she could kep her own Lady Diana name or she could use his and be Lady John Brown

[Duc_et_Pair]

Correct. She would have been Lady Diana Al-Fayed or Lady Diana Khan. She was never a Princess in her own right, she could not loose anything. Her only own "title" is the prefix "Lady" as daughter of an Earl.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by royal_enthusiast

William could still ask them to be there, no one is going to tell the King what he can and can't do.

He would probably invite them to lunch and to be in the Palace.. he would not invite them to be on the balcony because that would be inappropriate... as they are not royal....

[royal_enthusiast]

When the palace announced at the time of her divorce that Diana would receive invitations to state and national occasions. Would this have meant that Diana would have been invited to the recent RAF Service?

[Denville]

Originally Posted by royal_enthusiast

When the palace announced at the time of her divorce that Diana would receive invitations to state and national occasions. Would this have meant that Diana would have been invited to the recent RAF Service?

Very possibly.

[royal_enthusiast]

I know this is a random question but is an example that I could think of related to Diana’s status after her divorce. The question is whether Diana after her divorce would still be seated in the front row of the Royal box at Wimbledon if she attended like she was during her marriage to the Prince of Wales?

[Queen Claude]

Originally Posted by royal_enthusiast

I know this is a random question but is an example that I could think of related to Diana’s status after her divorce. The question is whether Diana after her divorce would still be seated in the front row of the Royal box at Wimbledon if she attended like she was during her marriage to the Prince of Wales?

This is off topic but I will answer any way. Even though it is called the royal box, the seating in that section is governed by the All England Club and all sorts of celebrities and dignitaries sit in the royal box.



Diana was arguably the most famous woman in the world. If it was known that Diana was attending Wimbledon on a given day, there is no way she would have not been offered a seat in the royal box.

[Osipi]

Just another blip to add onto what Queen Claude has explained. It was announced by the palace at the time of the divorce that Diana would be "regarded as a member of the royal family" and "will from time to time receive invitations to state and national public occasions".

Hope that helps.

[royal_enthusiast]

Thank you all for your help. You all have been very helpful and it has been much appreciated.

[royal_enthusiast]

Hi I thought I would ask this question on this thread. Does anyone know if after her divorce the bells on Westminster Abbey would ring on Diana’s birthday and if the Union Jack would be flown from UK government buildings?

This is because Diana was said to be still regarded as a member of the royal family after her divorce so I just wondered if these customs was still given to her following her divorce.

[tommy100]

Originally Posted by royal_enthusiast

When the palace announced at the time of her divorce that Diana would receive invitations to state and national occasions. Would this have meant that Diana would have been invited to the recent RAF Service?

I would it was likely, and especially more so if she was an Honorary Air Commodore for any RAF base. She was Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Wittering.I'm not sure if she gave these up after her divorce but if she didn't then I'm sure she would have attended.

[cepe]

Diana gave up her military appointments at the time of the divorce (Source Daily Telegraph)

[Iluvbertie]

Even though she had given up her military appointments they may have invited her as a 'former' Honorary Commodore. With other military events over the years 'former' honourary military holders have been invited to the church service.

After her divorce the bells, I believe, didn't ring as she was no longer a senior royal.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by tommy100

I would it was likely, and especially more so if she was an Honorary Air Commodore for any RAF base. She was Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Wittering.I'm not sure if she gave these up after her divorce but if she didn't then I'm sure she would have attended.

In the Netherlands there is a Regiment Fuseliers Princess Irene, named after Queen Juliana's second daughter. Like Diana, also Irene ceased to be a member of the Royal House. But of course this did not stop the military to invite their old lady patronesses. At present Princess Irene still is invited for special occasions. I am sure that would still have been the same for Diana today.

[Spheno]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

In the Netherlands there is a Regiment Fuseliers Princess Irene, named after Queen Juliana's second daughter. Like Diana, also Irene ceased to be a member of the Royal House. But of course this did not stop the military to invite their old lady patronesses. At present Princess Irene still is invited for special occasions. I am sure that would still have been the same for Diana today.

It would depend on Diana's reputation at the moment.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Spheno

It would depend on Diana's reputation at the moment.

Or whether sehe was likely to want to go...