Princess Royal

**Princess Royal** is a title often given by the reigning British King or Queen to his or her eldest daughter. The title is a gift of the monarch, unlike Prince of Wales which is always given to the eldest son

There can only be one Princess Royal at a time, so Elizabeth II never held the title because her aunt, Princess Mary was already called Princess Royal.

## List of Princesses Royal

The following is a full list of women officially called  "Princess Royal":

|Order|Name <small>dates</small> !! Princess Royal <small>from (date) to (date)</small> !! Parent !! Date married !! Husband <small>dates</small>!! width="125"|Notes|
| --- | --- |
|1|Mary, Princess Royal 1631–1660 || 1642–1660 ||  Charles I 1600–1649 || 1641 || William II, Prince of Orange 1626–1650 |||
|2|Anne, Princess Royal 1709–1759 || 1727–1759 || George II 1683–1760 || 1734 || William IV, Prince of Orange 1711–1751 |||
|3|Charlotte, Princess Royal 1766–1828 || 1789–1828 || George III 1738–1820 || 1797 || Frederick I of Württemberg 1754–1816 |||
|4|Victoria, Princess Royal 1840–1901 || 1841–1901 || Victoria 1819–1901 || 1858 || Friedrich III of Germany 1831–1888 || Heiress presumptive 1840–1841|
|5|Louise, Princess Royal 1867–1931 || 1905–1931 || Edward VII 1841–1910 || 1889 || Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife 1849–1912 |||
|6|Mary, Princess Royal 1897–1965 || 1932–1965 || George V 1865–1936 || 1922 || Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood 1882–1947 |||
|7|Anne, Princess Royal 1950– ||rowspan="2"| 1987–present ||rowspan="2"| Elizabeth II 1926– || 1973–1992 || Mark Phillips 1948- ||rowspan="2"||
|1992|Timothy Laurence 1955–|

Princess Louisa Maria (1692–1712), the last daughter of King James II (d. 1701), was born after he lost his crown in the Glorious Revolution.  She was given the title of _Princess Royal_ during James's exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye and was so called by Jacobites, even though she was never even James's eldest living daughter.

## Eldest daughters of English sovereigns

Before Charles II in 1660 started using the title of Princess Royal, the eldest daughters of the King of England had a special status.  Magna Carta made the Barons to pay for the eldest daughter's wedding, and later sleeping with her was made High Treason, punishable by death - a law only changed in 1998

### List of Eldest daughters of English sovereigns

|Name <small>dates</small> !! Eldest daughter <small>from (date) to (date)</small> !! Father !! Date married !! Husband <small>dates</small>!! width="125"|Notes|||
| --- | --- | --- |
|Adela of Normandy 1062/7-1137? || 1066/7-1087 || William I || 1083? || Stephen II of Blois 1045-1102 || Mother of Stephen of England.|||
|rowspan="2"|Empress Matilda 1102-1167 ||rowspan="2"| 1102–1135 ||rowspan="2"| Henry I || 1114 || Emperor Henry V 1086-1125 ||rowspan="2"|Named as her father's heir 1127-1135, briefly (1141) ruler of England; mother of Henry II.||
|1128|Geoffrey V of Anjou 1113-1151||
|Marie of Boulogne 1136-1182 || 1136–1154 || Stephen || 1160–1170 || Matthew of Boulogne c.1130-1173 |||||
|Matilda of Saxony 1156-1189 || 1156–1189 || Henry II || 1168 || Henry the Lion 1129-1195 |||||
|Joan of England 1210-1238 || 1210–1216 || John || 1221 || Alexander II of Scotland 1198-1249 |||||
|Margaret of England 1240-1275 || 1240–1272 || Henry III || 1251 || Alexander III of Scotland 1241-1286 |||||
|Eleanor of England 1269-1298 || 1272–1298 || Edward I || 1293 || Henry III of Bar 1259-1302 |||||
|rowspan="2"|Joan of Acre 1272-1307 ||rowspan="2"|  1298–1307 ||rowspan="2"|  Edward I || 1290 || Gilbert de Clare 1243–1295 ||rowspan="2"| Became eldest daughter of the king _then living_ when her sister died.||
|1297|Ralph de Monthermer c. 1270-1325||
|Margaret Plantagenet 1275-1333? || Apr.-Jul. 1307 || Edward I || 1290 || John II of Brabant 1275-1312 || Very briefly eldest living daughter of the king between her sister's and her father's deaths.|||
|Eleanor of Woodstock 1318-1355 || 1318–1327 || Edward II || 1332 || Reginald II of Guelders 1295-1343 |||||
|Isabella de Coucy 1332-1379/82 || 1332–1377 || Edward III || 1365 || Enguerrand VII de Coucy 1340-1397 |||||
|Blanche of England 1392-1409 || 1399–1409 || Henry IV || 1402 || Louis III of Germany <small>(son of King Rupert)</small> 1378-1436 |||||
|Philippa of England 1394-1430 || 1409–1413 || Henry IV || 1406 || Eric of Pomerania <small>King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden</small> 1382-1459 || Eldest living daughter of the king after her sister's death.|||
|Elizabeth of York 1466-1503 || 1466–1483 || Edward IV || 1486 || Henry VII of England 1457-1509 || Heiress presumptive 1466-70|||
|Margaret Tudor 1489-1541 || 1489–1509 || Henry VII || 1503 || James IV of Scotland 1473-1513 || Heiress presumptive 1509-11, 1511-16. Great-grandmother of James I.|||
|Mary I of England 1516-1558 || 1516-1547 <small>declared illegitimate 1533</small> || Henry VIII || 1554 || Philip II of Spain 1527-1598 || Heiress presumptive 1516-34 and 1547–53; Queen of England and Ireland 1553-58.|||
|Elizabeth of Bohemia 1596-1662 || 1603–1625 || James I || 1613 || Frederick V, Elector Palatine 1596-1632 || Heiress presumptive 1625-30. Grandmother of George I.|||
|Mary, Princess Royal|1631–1649|See above.|
|Mary II of England 1662-1694 || 1685–1689 || James II || 1677 || William III of Orange 1650-1702 || Heiress presumptive 1685-88, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland 1689-94.|||