According to royal tradition, the only daughter of Wales will not pass down her HRH title to any children she may have.
When Prince George, who is now 11 years old, takes over from his father, Prince William, as King of England, his children will naturally inherit the HRH status, often recognized as ‘Prince’ or ‘Princess’.
Unfortunately, despite being highly positioned as third in line for the throne, George’s younger sister, Charlotte, won’t enjoy the same advantage. This is a result of a somewhat controversial royal tradition that has been observed for many generations.
Many might assume that having a strong connection to the Royal Family would automatically come with a grand title, especially for the children of a Prince or Princess.
This logical assumption comes from the precedent set when William and Harry received their titles through their parents, the late Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
And you’d likely think the same rule would extend to William and Kate Middleton’s kids—George, Charlotte, and Louis. But, something’s amiss here.
The reality is, only George and Louis will automatically pass the ‘Prince’ or ‘Princess’ designation to their future children. Charlotte, however, finds herself on a different path.
But why is this the case?
Historically, royal titles are handed down to males but not females within the royal family.
Lucy Hume, an expert in etiquette, shed some light on this longstanding tradition, particularly for those who find its logic elusive.
However, Hume mentioned that Charlotte could still potentially pass down these titles if she receives official approval from a reigning monarch. This could either be from her father, Prince William, once he takes the throne following King Charles’ passing, or later from her brother, Prince George.
We saw a similar scenario with the late Queen Elizabeth.
Her two eldest sons, Charles and Andrew, managed to pass down the ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ titles to their children—William, Harry, Beatrice, and Eugenie.
For her youngest son, Edward, there was a similar privilege for his children with wife Sophie Wessex, which they eventually chose to forgo to limit the number of individuals bearing these royal prefixes.
Consequently, their children were given the titles ‘Lady’ and ‘Viscount’ at birth. Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter, Princess Anne, and her husband Captain Phillips, were in a different boat.
When Anne and Captain Phillips welcomed their children, Peter and Zara, they didn’t have the option to inherit such titles.
Interestingly, the late Queen did propose the royal titles of ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ for these grandchildren, but they ultimately declined.
As Hume explained, “For Peter and Zara Phillips, the Queen offered to give them a royal title when they were born, but Princess Anne and Captain Phillips opted to decline this offer.”
