British prince

**Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland** is a royal title normally granted to sons and grandsons of reigning and past British monarchs. It is also held by the Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II. The title is granted by the reigning monarch, who is the fount of all honors, through the issuing of letters patent as an expression of the royal will.

Individuals holding the title of prince will usually also be granted the style of Royal Highness.

## History

Prior to 1714, the title of prince and the style of HRH was not customary in usage. Sons and daughters of the sovereign were not automatically or traditionally called a prince or princess. An exception was the Prince of Wales, a title conferred on the eldest son of the sovereign since the reign of Edward I of England. In the Kingdom of Scotland, even though an honorific principality was created by James I, the heir-apparent was only referred to as Duke of Rothesay. Some others include John, brother of Richard the Lionheart and later King John, who is sometimes called Prince John.

After the accession of George I (the first monarch from the House of Hanover), it became customary for the sons of the sovereign and grandsons of the sovereign in the male line to be titled 'Prince' and styled *His Royal Highness* (abbreviated *HRH*). Great-grandsons of the sovereign were princes styled *His Highness* (abbreviated *HH*).

* The first male-line great-grandchild of a British monarch was not born until 1776. In keeping with tradition, he was given the style of His Highness Prince William of Gloucester (later Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh). On 22 July 1816 when he married his cousin and daughter of King George III, he was granted the style His Royal Highness. His only surviving elder sister, Princess Sophia of Gloucester, was also elevated to Her Royal Highness style the following day. Prince William died in 1834 before the accession of Queen Victoria.
* The first of the second set of male-line great-grandchildren of a British monarch was born on 21 September 1845 as Prince Ernest Augustus. He was granted the style of *His Royal Highness* because he was a male-line grandson of the King of Hanover and heir to the heir of that kingdom.

Just three weeks after the birth of her fourth grandchild but first male-line grandson, Queen Victoria issued letters patent in 1864 which formally confirmed the practice of calling children and male-line grandchildren *His Royal Highness* with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names. The letters patent did not address the styling of great-grandchildren or further descendants as *His/Her Highness* or Prince or Princess.

Subsequent to 1864 some amendments regarding princes were made, with the issuance of specific letters patent changing the title and style of the following groups:

* In 1898, the children of Prince George, Duke of York, the eldest living son of the Prince of Wales, were customarily titled princes, with the style of *Highness*, as great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria in the male line. With letters patent dated 28 May 1898, the Crown granted the children of the eldest son of any Prince of Wales the style of *Royal Highness*.
* In 1914, the children of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, a great-great-grandchild of George III, were granted the title of prince and the style *Highness* by George V, in letters patent dated 17 June 1914.
* In 1917, George V issued a royal proclamation, altering the name of the Royal House from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the House of Windsor and the discontinuance of the usage of the German titles of Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and the like.
* Later that year, letters patent altered the rights to the title prince and the style *Royal Highness*. These letters patent, dated 30 November 1917, stated that "the children of any Sovereign of these Realms and the children of the sons of any such Sovereign *(as per the above Letters Patent of 1864)* and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales *(a modification of the Letters Patent of 1898)* shall have and at all times hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names or with their other titles of honour". It was also decreed in these letters that "grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line ... shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes of these Our Realms" (i.e., *Lord* or *Lady* before their Christian name). In addition the letters stated *save as aforesaid the style title or attribute of Royal Highness, Highness or Serene Highness and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess shall not henceforth be assumed or borne by any descendant of any Sovereign of these Realms*.

Both the proclamation and the letters patent of 1917 remain in force today, excepting a few amendments and creations noted.

* However, the former reigning Duke of Brunswick, head of the House of Hanover, refused to recognise the letters depriving his children of the British and Irish princely titles, and in 1931, he issued a decree, in the capacity of the head of the House of Hanover and senior male-line descendant of George III of the United Kingdom, stating that the members of the former Hanoverian royal family would continue to bear the title of Prince (or Princess) of Great Britain and Ireland with the style of Royal Highness. This title and style remains in use to this day by his descendants, including the current head of the House of Hanover, Ernst August, Prince of Hanover. The decree by the head of the House of Hanover is not legally recognised in the United Kingdom or Ireland, and the titles are used as titles of pretense. Since, however, the Hanovers are born in the male-line of George II of Great Britain they were bound by the Royal Marriages Act 1772 until repealed in 2015. Thus, before his marriage to Princess Caroline of Monaco, Ernst August requested, and Elizabeth II issued on 11 January 1999, an Order in Council: "My Lords, I do hereby declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between His Royal Highness Prince Ernst August Albert of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg and Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite of Monaco..." Without the Royal Assent, the marriage would have been void in the United Kingdom.
* After the abdication crisis of 1936, George VI issued letters patent (dated 27 May 1937) regranting his elder brother his style as son of a Sovereign, whilst expressly denying the style of *Royal Highness* to his wife and descendants. The marriage, however, had no issue.
* On 22 October 1948, George VI issued letters patent allowing the children of his daughter Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and son-in-law Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to assume princely titles and the style *Royal Highness*; they would not have been entitled to them ordinarily, as grandchildren in the female line, until their mother ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth II. Thus the current Prince of Wales was styled *HRH Prince Charles of Edinburgh* until his mother's accession. Otherwise the children would have been styled Earl of Merioneth and Lady Anne Mountbatten, respectively.
* Queen Elizabeth II issued letters patent, dated 22 February 1957, creating Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a *Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland*. Prince Philip had been born a Prince of Greece and Denmark, titles he renounced upon going through the naturalisation process, unaware that he was already a British subject by virtue of the Sophia Naturalization Act 1705.
* On the wedding day of The Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, it was announced by Buckingham Palace that The Queen, in agreement with their wishes, had declared that their children would be styled as children of an earl, and not as Princes of the United Kingdom with the style *Royal Highness*.
* On 31 December 2012, Queen Elizabeth II declared that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, at that time Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, would have the title Prince or Princess and the style *Royal Highness*. Accordingly, the Duke's eldest son, born on 22 July 2013, is styled *His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge*. His daughter, born on 2 May 2015, is styled *Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge*. His second son, born on 23 April 2018, is styled *His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge*.

## Styles of British princes

Coronet of the British Heir Apparent.pngCoronet of the heir apparentCoronet of a son of the sovereignCoronet of a son of the heir apparentCoronet of a grandson of the sovereign

* Sovereign's heir apparent if Prince of Wales – HRH The Prince of Wales.
* Sovereign's sons (not Prince of Wales) with peerage – HRH The Prince *X*, Duke of *Y* (with *Y* being the territorial designation of their highest peerage), e.g., HRH The Prince Andrew, Duke of York.
* Sovereign's sons without peerage – HRH The Prince *X*, e.g., HRH The Prince John.
* Sovereign's male line grandsons with peerage – HRH Prince "X", Duke of "Y" (with *Y* being the territorial designation of their highest title), e.g., HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.
* Sovereign's male line grandsons without peerage – HRH Prince "X" of "Y" (with *Y* being the territorial designation of their father's highest title), e.g., HRH Prince Michael of Kent.
* Sovereign's great-grandsons whose father is the oldest son of the heir apparent – HRH Prince "X" of "Y" (with *Y* being the territorial designation of their father's highest title), e.g., HRH Prince George of Cambridge.

## List of British princes since 1714

 Of the 58 names on the list below, 2 are spouses of a reigning Queen, and 8 lost their title after World War I.

## See also

* British royal family
* List of British monarchs
* British princess
* List of peerages created for British princes
* Prince of Waterloo, a title in the Dutch and Belgian nobility, held by the Duke of Wellington.

## Notes and references

### Notes

1. ↑ Velde, 1864 Royal Styles and Titles – 1864 Letters Patent
2. ↑ Velde, 1898 Letters Patent
3. ↑ Velde, 1914 Letters Patent
4. ↑ Velde, 1917 Royal Proclamation
5. ↑ Template:London Gazette
6. ↑ Velde, Second 1917 Letters Patent
7. ↑ Velde, 1937 Letters Patent
8. ↑ Velde, 1948 Letters Patent
9. ↑ Template:London Gazette
10. ↑ Template:London Gazette

### References

* Velde, François. Royal Styles and Titles of Great Britain: Documents.