Happy Birthday to HRH The Princess of Wales

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Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, HM King Charles III of the United Kingdom, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, HRH The Duke of Cambridge, HRH The Princess of Wales, Prince William of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

HRH The Princess of Wales (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; January 9, 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to HRH The Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine the likely next queen consort.

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on January 9, 1982 into an upper-middle-class family. She was baptised at St Andrew’s Bradfield, a local parish church, on June 20, 1982.

She is the eldest of three children born to Michael Middleton (b. 1949) and his wife, Carole (née Goldsmith; b. 1955), a former flight dispatcher and flight attendant, respectively,

She was educated at St Andrew’s School and Marlborough College before studying art history at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where she met Prince William of Wales in 2001. Prince William of Wales the son of the then Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales and his first wife, Lady Diana Spencer.

Catherine held jobs in retail and marketing and pursued charity work before their engagement was announced in November 2010. They married on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey.

On the morning of thier wedding Queen Elizabeth II created Prince William Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. The letters patent granting these titles were issued on May 26 that year. Catherine became The Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn and Baroness Carrickfergus.

By marrying a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Catherine became a Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However, the privilege to be called Princess, followed by thier first name, is reserved for Princesses that are born into the Royal Family.

Had her husband not been elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom, Catherine would have been addressed as Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales. See Princess Michael of Kent as an example.

On the accession of the Duke of Cambridge’s father to the throne as HM King Charles III on September 8, 2022, as the eldest son of the monarch, the Duke of Cambridge automatically became Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.

As heir to the throne the title Duke of Cambridge was to be used along with his new title Duke of Cornwall and for one day William and Catherine were officially The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall.

However, this new styling was only to last one day for on the next day, September 9, 2022, His Majesty the King announced the creation of the Duke of Cambridge and Cornwall as Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.

His wife took on the feminine form of her husband’s titles and is addressed as Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales in England but in Scotland is addressed as Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Rothesay. As mentioned above, since the Princess of Wales was not born into the Royal Family it is not correct to refer to her as Princess Catherine.

The couple’s children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—are second, third, and fourth in the line of succession to the British throne, respectively.

Catherine holds patronage within over 20 charitable and military organisations, including Action for Children, SportsAid, and the National Portrait Gallery. She undertakes projects through The Royal Foundation, with her charity work focusing on issues surrounding young children, addiction, and art.

To encourage people to open up about their mental health issues, Catherine envisioned the mental health awareness campaign “Heads Together”, launched with William and Prince Harry in April 2016.

In 2011, 2012, and 2013, Time magazine selected her as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

It is Inorrect To Call The Princess of Wales “Princess Catherine.”

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Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, HRH The Princess of Wales, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, Peerage title, Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Royal Family, Style

Like yesterday’s post concerning how is a Queen Consort is refered to, I will look at how a Princess of Wales is addressed.

I do want to stress that the Princess of Wales is a Princess of the United Kingdom by virtue of her marriage to Prince William. In British Law the wife of a British Prince takes on the feminine form of her husband’s titles. Therefore, when Catherine Middleton married Prince William she became a Princess of the United Kingdom, also Duchess of Cambridge. Now she is the Princess of Wales.

However, she was not born royal and that does matter in how she is addressed and referenced.

Princess of Wales (Welsh: Tywysoges Cymru) is a courtesy title first held by the wife of a native Prince of Wales. Since the 14th century, it has been used by the wife of the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. The current title-holder is Catherine, wife of William, Prince of Wales.

From 1301 onward, the eldest sons of the Kings of England (and later Great Britain and the United Kingdom) have generally been created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, and their wives have been titled Princess of Wales.

HRH The Princess of Wales

Although not granted the title in her own right, the future Queen Mary I was, during her youth, invested by her father, King Henry VIII, with many of the rights and properties traditionally given to the Prince of Wales, including use of the official seal of Wales for correspondence.

For most of her childhood, Mary was her father’s only legitimate heir, and for this reason, she was often referred to as “the Princess of Wales”, although Henry VIII never formally created her as such. For example, Spanish scholar Juan Luis Vives dedicated his Satellitium Animi to “Dominæ Mariæ Cambriæ Principi, Henrici Octavi Angliæ Regis Filiæ”.

In modern times Welsh politicians suggested Princess Elizabeth (future Elizabeth II) be made Princess of Wales on her 18th birthday, but King George VI rejected the idea because he felt such a title belonged solely to the wife of a Prince of Wales and the Prince of Wales had always been the heir apparent.

Camilla, Charles III’s second wife, was the Princess of Wales from 2005 to 2022 but did not use the title due to its popular association with her husband’s first wife, Lady Diana Spencer.

Queen Elizabeth II of United Kingdom issued Letters Patent dated 21 August 1996, stating that any woman divorced from a Prince of the United Kingdom would no longer be entitled to the style “Royal Highness”. This has so far applied to Diana, Princess of Wales, and Sarah, Duchess of York. No longer being married to a Prince of the United Kingdom they are no longer

Thier Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales

When a British prince marries, his wife also becomes a British princess; however, she is addressed by the feminine version of the husband’s most senior title on his behalf.

For example, William, was created Duke of Cambridge by the Queen on the day of his marriage to Catherine Middleton. Upon the wedding she was called HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.

And as mentioned above when a British prince marries, his wife also becomes a British princess.

Then once Charles became King his eldest son was (briefly) officially styled His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge while his wife Catherine became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, omitting both the ‘prince’ and ‘princess’ titles and their first names.

When addressing a person with a peerage title, whether they be royal or a member of the aristocracy, first names are omitted and replaced with their Style (form of address) in this case His/Her Royal Highness. That is followed by thier title.

The next day when William was then created Prince of Wales, that became the senior title held in his own right, and he and Catherine are styled His/Her Royal Highness The Prince/Princess of Wales.

However, despite being a Princess of the United Kingdom as the wife of a British Prince, a wife is not to be called Princess in front of her first name. That privilege is for members who are Prince/Princess of the Blood. In other words, those born into the Royal Family who are a Princess of the United Kingdom from birth.

Examples of this are: Princess Anne, the Princess Royal (HRH The Princess Royal), Princess Eugenie of York, Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Alexandra of Kent. These women were born members of the Royal Family.

If William, or his brother Harry, had not been elevated to a peerage title then thier wives would have gone by thier husband’s first names. In this case, Princess William and Princess Harry respectively. Remember the wife of a British Prince is addressed by the feminine version of the husband’s most senior title on his behalf.

Another example of this case is Princess Michael of Kent, the wife of the King’s first cousin once removed, Prince Michael of Kent. Although she is a Princess by virtue of her marriage to a British Prince, since he does not have a peerage title she is called Princess Michael of Kent. This is much like how a wife will be known by her husband’s name. Technically my wife could be known as Mrs Liam Foley.

HRH The Princess of Wales

There is also the case when a princess of blood royal marries a British prince. She also becomes a princess by marriage and will be addressed in the same way; an example of this situation was the late Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife: when she married the cousin of her mother, Prince Arthur of Connaught, she became Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife.

Therefore in conclusion the current Princess of Wales is simply addressed simply as HRH The Princess of Wales. Since she was not born a Princess of the blood royal it is incorrect to refer to her as “Princess Catherine” just as it was incorrect to refer to Diana as “Princess Diana” despite how she was called by the Press.

Incidentally, calling her Catherine, Princess of Wales is also incorrect because, as we have seen, that would indicate that she was divorced.

This date in History: August 31, 1997. Death of Diana, Princess of Wales

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8th Earl Spencer, Charles, Charles Prince of Wales, Diana, Diana Princess of Wales, HRH The Duke of Cambridge, HRH The Duke of Sussex, HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH The Princess of Wales, John Spencer, Lady Diana Spencer, Prince Harry, Prince Henry of Wales, Prince William, Prince William of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Diana, Princess of Wales (July 1, 1961 – August 31, 1997). Diana Frances Spencer was born on 1 July 1961, in Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the fourth of five children of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer (1924–1992), and Frances Spencer, Viscountess Althorp (née Roche; 1936–2004). The Spencer family has been closely allied with the British royal family for several generations; Diana’s grandmothers had served as ladies-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

The Spencers were hoping for a boy to carry on the family line, and no name was chosen for a week, until they settled on Diana Frances. The name Frances was chosen after her mother. Diana was the name chosen after Lady Diana Spencer (1710-1735) daughter of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (1675-1722) and his second wife, Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland (née Lady Anne Churchill) (1683-1716). This Lady Diana Spencer was a many-times-great-aunt and she was chiefly remembered for the unsuccessful attempt to arrange a marriage between her and Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales (1707-1751) eldest son of King George III of the United Kingdom.

Lady Diana Spencer (1710-1735)

Diana came to prominence in 1981 upon her engagement to Prince Charles, Princes of Wales the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, after a brief courtship. Their wedding took place at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981 which made her HRH The Princess of Wales, a role in which she was enthusiastically received by the public.

The couple had two sons, the Prince William (current Duke of Cambridge) and Henry (Harry, current Duke of Sussex), who were then second and third in the line of succession to the British throne. Diana’s marriage to Charles, however, suffered due to their incompatibility and extramarital affairs. The couple separated in 1992, soon after the breakdown of their relationship became public knowledge. The details of their marital difficulties became increasingly publicised, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.

(My favorite picture of Diana, Princess of Wales)

As Princess of Wales, Diana undertook royal duties on behalf of the Queen and represented her at functions across the Commonwealth realms. She was celebrated in the media for her unconventional approach to charity work. Her patronages initially centered on children and youth but she later became known for her involvement with AIDS patients and campaign for the removal of landmines.

She also raised awareness and advocated ways to help people affected with cancer and mental illness. As princess, Diana was initially noted for her shyness, but her charisma and friendliness endeared her to the public and helped her reputation survive the acrimonious collapse of her marriage.

Exceptionally photogenic, she was a leader of fashion in the 1980s and 1990s. Media attention and public mourning were extensive after her death in a car crash in a Paris tunnel in 1997 and subsequent televised funeral. Her legacy has had a deep impact on the royal family and British society.