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This is a list of 'British princes' from the accession of King George I in 1714. The title of Prince is at the will of the sovereign, who can both grant and revoke the title. Individuals holding the title of prince will usually also be styled "His Royal Highness" ('HRH') or formerly "His Highness" ('HH'). The sovereign grants the titles of prince and styles of HRH or HH through the use of Letters Patent, Orders in Council, or by another expression of the royal will. The wife of a British prince will usually take the title and style of her husband.

Contents

History

Styles of British Princes

List of British Princes since 1714

See also

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. Some others include John, brother of Richard the Lionheart and later King John, who is sometimes called Prince John.
After the accession of King George I, it became customary for the sons of the sovereign and grandsons of the sovereign in the male line to be titled Prince and styled HRH. Great-grandsons of the sovereign were princes styled HH. This was not a legal creation, but more customary, and in line with George I’s Hanoverian background. It also allowed the creation as the Royal Family of those in immediate line of succession to the throne, with royal titles and living in close proximity.
The titles of prince and princess for members of the Royal Family were used until Queen Victoria issued letters patent in 1864 which confirmed the practice. Subsequently some amendments 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 titled princes, with the style of HH, as great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria in the male line. Letters patent allowed the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales to be styled HRH.

★ In 1914, the children of Prince Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick, a great-great-grandchild of George III, were granted the title of prince and the style HH by George V.

★ In 1917, King 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. Later that year, new letters patent altered the rights to the title prince and the style HRH. The letters patent stated that “the children of any Sovereign of the United Kingdom and the children of the sons of any such Sovereign (as per the 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”. The effect of this was that great-grandchildren of the sovereign were no longer titled prince or princess, and were instead styled as the children of a Duke (ie ''Lord'' or ''Lady'' before their Christian name). Also the Duke of Brunswick and his children were denied the title of prince. The 1917 letters patent remain in force today, excepting a few amendments and creations noted.

★ After the abdication crisis in 1936, King George VI issued letters patent denying the title of prince and style HRH to the wife and descendants of The Duke of Windsor. However, the marriage had no issue and The Duke always considered his wife to be a Royal Highness.

★ In 1948, King George VI issued Letters Patent allowing the children of his son-in-law and daughter, The Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, to assume princely titles and the style HRH; they would not have been entitled to them ordinarily, as grandchildren in the female line, until their mother ascended the throne as Elizabeth II. Thus the current Prince of Wales was styled HRH Prince Charles of Edinburgh until his mother’s accession.

★ Elizabeth II issued Letters Patent in 1957, creating The Duke of Edinburgh a Prince of the United Kingdom. He had been granted the style Royal Highness in 1947 by George VI prior to his wedding to Princess Elizabeth.

★ Elizabeth II issued letters patent in 1996, denying the style of Royal Highness to former wives of divorced princes. Thus, HRH The Princess of Wales, wife of HRH The Prince of Wales, was denied the style on her divorce and became styled "Diana, Princess of Wales"; Sarah, Duchess of York, the former wife of HRH The Prince Andrew, Duke of York, was similarly affected because of her divorce from him.

★ On the wedding day of The Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones it was announced by Buckingham Palace on the specific order of Earl and Countess of Wessex that their children would be styled as children of an earl, and not as Princes or Princesses of the United Kingdom with the style Royal Highness. The daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor, is a princess and can be styled as such when she assumes majority.

Styles of British Princes

★ Sons of sovereigns - HRH The Prince "X", eg HRH The Prince Edward

★ Grandchildren - HRH Prince "X" of "Y", where Y is the territorial designation of their father’s peerages, eg HRH Prince Michael of Kent

★ Great-grandchildren - HH Prince "X" of "Y" (until 1917, as described above).

★ The Prince of Wales is normally styled HRH The Prince of Wales,

★ and royal peers, HRH The Duke/Earl of Y. Royal peers remain princes, however.
Wives of British princes take on their husbands' titles. If the prince has a peerage, the wife will become HRH and the female equivalent of the peerage rank, eg HRH The Countess of Wessex. If the prince has no peerage, as in the case of HRH Prince Michael of Kent, the wife will become HRH and will take the title Princess with her husband's name, eg HRH Princess Michael of Kent.
Following the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker Bowles on 9 April 2005 his new wife uses the style HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, using one of his peerage titles, instead of Princess of Wales.
These formal styles are not often used in the media or by the general public. The terms "Prince Charles", "Princess Diana" "Prince Andrew", "Prince Edward", "Princess Anne" and suchforth are most commonly heard, even though the persons involved may never have held that formal style.

List of British Princes since 1714

Title at birth	Other titles held	Year of birth	Year of death	Notes
HSH George, Prince Elector of Hanover	HRH The Prince George, Prince of Wales	1683	1760	son of George I, succeeded as George II
HSH Duke Friedrich Ludwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg	HRH Prince Frederick of Wales, Prince of Wales	1707	1751	son of George II
HRH Prince George William		1717	1718	son of George II
HRH Prince William Augustus	Duke of Cumberland	1721	1765	son of George II
HRH Prince George of Wales	Prince of Wales	1738	1820	son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, succeeded as George III
HRH Prince Edward Augustus of Wales	Duke of York	1739	1767	son of Frederick, Prince of Wales
HRH Prince William Henry of Wales	Duke of Gloucester	1743	1805	son of Frederick, Prince of Wales
HRH Prince Henry Frederick of Wales	Duke of Cumberland	1745	1790	son of Frederick, Prince of Wales
HRH Prince Frederick William of Wales		1750	1765	son of Frederick, Prince of Wales
HRH The Prince George Augustus	HRH The Prince Regent, Prince of Wales	1762	1830	son of George III, succeeded as George IV
HRH The Prince Frederick Augustus	Duke of York	1763	1827	son of George III
HRH The Prince William	Duke of Clarence	1765	1837	son of George III, succeeded as William IV
HRH The Prince Edward	Duke of Kent	1767	1820	son of George III, father of Queen Victoria
HRH The Prince Ernest Augustus	Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale; King of Hanover	1771	1851	son of George III
HRH The Prince Augustus	Duke of Sussex	1773	1843	son of George III
HRH The Prince Adolphus Frederick	Duke of Cambridge	1774	1850	son of George III
HH Prince William Frederick of Gloucester	HRH Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester	1776	1834	great grandson of George II, son of HRH Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester
HRH The Prince Octavius		1779	1783	son of George III
HRH The Prince Alfred		1780	1782	son of George III
HRH Prince George of Cambridge	Duke of Cambridge	1819	1904	grandson of George III
HRH Prince George of Cumberland	King of Hanover	1819	1878	grandson of George III, son of Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
HH Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha	HRH The Prince Consort	1819	1861	husband of Victoria, granted style of HRH in 1840 and then style of "Prince Consort"
HRH Prince Albert Edward	Emperor of India	1841	1910	son of Queen Victoria, succeeded as Edward VII
HRH Prince Alfred	Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	1844	1900	son of Queen Victoria
HRH Prince Ernst August (II) of Cumberland and Hanover	King of Hanover	1845	1923	great grandson of George III, son of George V of Hanover
HRH The Prince Arthur	Duke of Connaught and Strathearn	1850	1942	son of Queen Victoria
HRH The Prince Leopold	Duke of Albany, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	1853	1884	son of Queen Victoria
HRH Prince Albert Victor	Duke of Clarence	1864	1892	son of Edward VII
HRH Prince George of Wales	Duke of York, Prince of Wales	1865	1936	son of Edward VII, succeeded as George V
HRH Prince John of Wales (I)		1871	1871	son of Edward VII
HRH Prince Alfred of Edinburgh		1874	1899	grandson of Queen Victoria, son of Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
HRH Prince George William of Cumberland and Hanover		1880	1912	great great grandson of George III, son of Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland
HRH Prince Arthur of Connaught		1883	1938	grandson of Queen Victoria
HRH Prince Charles Edward	Duke of Albany, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha	1884	1954	grandson of Queen Victoria
HRH Prince Christian of Cumberland and Hanover		1885	1901	great great grandson of George III, son of Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland
HRH Prince Ernst August (III) of Cumberland and Hanover	Duke of Brunswick	1887	1953	great great grandson of George III, son of Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland
HH Prince Edward of York	HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor	1894	1972	son of George V, succeeded as Edward VIII, abdicated and resumed princely title
HH Prince Albert of York	Duke of York	1895	1952	son of George V, succeeded as George VI
HRH Prince Henry of York	Duke of Gloucester	1900	1974	son of George V
HRH Prince George of Wales	Duke of Kent	1902	1942	son of George V
HRH Prince John of Wales		1905	1919	son of George V
HH Hereditary Prince John Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha		1906	1972	great grandson of Queen Victoria, son of Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany
HH Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha		1909	1943	great grandson of Queen Victoria, son of Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany
HRH Prince Ernst August (IV) of Hanover		1914	1987	great great great grandson of George III, son of HH Prince Ernst August (III) of Cumberland and Hanover
HH Prince Alastair of Connaught	Duke of Connaught	1914	1943	great grandson of Victoria, son of Prince Arthur of Connaught
HRH Prince George William of Hanover		1915	2006	great great great grandson of George III, son of HH Prince Ernst August (III) of Cumberland and Hanover
HRH Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark	HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	1921		husband of Elizabeth II, styled HRH upon marriage in 1948, and created Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957
HRH Prince Edward of Kent	Duke of Kent	1935		grandson of George V
HRH Prince William of Gloucester		1941	1972	grandson of George V, son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
HRH Prince Michael of Kent		1942		grandson of George V
HRH Prince Richard of Gloucester	Duke of Gloucester	1944		grandson of George V
HRH Prince Charles of Edinburgh	Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay	1948		son of Elizabeth II, heir apparent
HRH The Prince Andrew	Duke of York	1960		son of Elizabeth II
HRH The Prince Edward	Earl of Wessex	1964		son of Elizabeth II
HRH Prince William of Wales		1982		son of Charles, Prince of Wales
HRH Prince Henry of Wales "Prince Harry"		1984		son of Charles, Prince of Wales

See also

★ British Royal Family

★ List of British Monarchs

★ British princess