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| copyright hugo burnaud |
In a word: yes. There are no special or separate ranks for a royal duke. He remains a prince, but is no longer styled as HRH Prince William of Wales. He is now styled as HRH The Duke of Cambridge. The Dukes of York, Kent, and Gloucester are still princes, but styled as dukes. The Earl of Wessex is a prince, but is styled as the Earl of Wessex.
Some people just do not understand the difference. Catherine is now a princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If the Queen had not bestowed the Cambridge dukedom on William, Catherine's official title -- notice the words OFFICIAL TITLE -- would be HRH Princess William of Wales. But she is not styled as HRH Princess William of Wales because her husband is no longer styled as HRH Prince William of Wales.
During the lifetime of the queen, William and Catherine's eldest son will be HRH Prince name of Cambridge. Daughters and younger sons will be styled as children of a duke until Charles succeeds to the throne. George V's 1917 Letters Patent gave the HRH and the title of Prince or Princess to the children of the sovereign, the grandchildren of the sovereign in the MALE line, and the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. It is possible, however, that Queen Elizabeth could change this this Letters Patent to allow all of William's children to be styled as royals. If not, all would be upgraded when Grandpapa Charles succeeds to the throne.
I am disappointed in the following DailyTelegraph article:
Royal highnesses do not curtsy to each other. Catherine has the same rank as her husband and all other members of the Royal Family apart from the Queen. Thus, the only person to whom she will curtsy is Queen Elizabeth II.
Moreover, Catherine's title is not HRH Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She is HRH The Duchess of Cambridge. Sloppy work ... but it just shows that the British are not always as knowledgeable about their Royal Family as we think they are.
Paddy Harvorsen, the Prince of Wales' communication secretary, said yesterday: "I think it's absolutely natural that the public might want to call them Prince William and Princess Catherine and no one is going to have any argument with that."
HRHs do not curtsey to each other but Princess Nicholas (Tatiana) of Greece was clearly cutseying to Prince Michael of Kent at the Mandarin the other night. Perhaps she did this out of respect for a born HRH and someone much senior to her in age ?
ReplyDeletePaul
Isn't it somewhat inappropriate that the Duke's spokesman is telling people that he wants himself and his wife to be known by incorrect titles? You have frequently told us, Marlene, that it is important to get the titles right, and here is a royal duke telling the public to disregard the Queen's letters patent. It seems it presumptuous to me; two reigns hence he can decide on how to style members of the royal family. As for now, it is up to Queen Elizabeth II. I would be interested in your thoughts on this.
ReplyDeleteit is interesting that that the Letters Patent nor a photo of the wedding register has been released.
ReplyDeleteMost people in the UK or in the US do not know and really do not care about how someone is styled officially. The media, the general public, etc, will call them William and Kate or Princess Catherine etc. When I worked for AP, I once asked an editor why they always used Princess Diana (usually Princess of Wales on first reference). The reason is that they are writing for Uncle Harry in Kansas. You want to write for your audience - and the news organizations are writing not for you and me but for a wide variety of people.
Apparently, according to a royal reporter at one of the British dailies, Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace are categorically saying that Catherine isn't a princess since William was made a duke.
ReplyDeleteBuckingham Palace has not stated this, period, full stop. There is no separate rank for a royal duke. William was BORN a prince, he was created a peer (which means he is no longer a commoner in law. Only the Sovereign and peers of the realm are not commoners, according to British law. In Britain, a woman takes her husband's rank, unless her rank is higher. Thus, when Catherine came out of the Abbey, she became a Princess (by marriage) of the UK of GB and NI. If William had not been created Duke of Cambridge, Catherine would have been styled as HRH Princess William. All the distaff members of the family are princesses by birth or by marriage. Camilla is a princess because her husband is a prince. She is styled as the Duchess of Cornwall. The Duchesses of Gloucester and Kent are Princesses but styled as Duchesses. The Duchess of G was HRH Princess Richard of Gloucester before Richard succeeded as the Duke. He's still a prince. Sophie is a princess but styled as Countes of Wessex because her husband is styled as such. Prince Michael's wife is Princess Michael.
ReplyDeleteWilliam wanted Catherine to be known as Princess Catherine, but the Queen did not allow this. The use of man's name comes from Germany - as the wives of German princes were styled by their husbands' names even if they were princesses or duchesses by birth.
The Prince of Wales' Communication head said they knew that the media would call them Prince William and Princess Catherine ... even though it is not correct. Prince William is no longer styled as HRH Prince William, but as HRH The Duke of Cambridge.
Buckingham Palace apparently IS saying it, so I'm told by a reporter at one of the London dailies who asked for clarification on Catherine's title from Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace and was told flat-out that she isn't a princess. BP apparently is giving out wrong information to the press, but this is what the press are being told. All of which is just going to cause more confusion over what she's called in the papers. Some of them seem to have given up already and are still calling her Kate Middleton, which is just sad.
ReplyDeleteBull Merde. I called BP this morning before I left for work .. and was told that Catherine's rank is that of a princess. She is not TITLED A PRINCESS, but she is a princess because her husband is a prince. That's the law in the UK. There are many, even in Britain, who do not understand the difference between titles and style and rank. Catherine is not being CALLLED a princess because her husband is no longer officially HRH Prince William of Wales. He is HRH The Duke of Cambridge. That is his official TITLE. But he's a prince because that's his rank. The Prince of Wales is also Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay.
ReplyDeleteTo use Kate Middleton is sloppy .. one writes the Duchess of Cambridge on the first reference .. and one can use Duchess or Catherine is other sentences. The Duchess wore a blue dress today. She is not Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, either, because that would signify that she is a widow or a divorced wife of a peer. Jane, Duchess of Buccleuc was a widow. Diana, Princess of Wales or Sarah, Duchess of York, were divorcees. Diana and Sarah were princesses by marriage, not by birth - and that's what is confusing many people. Catherine is a princess by virtue of her marriage to a prince. Period. Full stop.