Royal consorts have been victims of incorrect references made by the press.
Many times over, I have heard people
say “Princess Diana” in reference to Diana, Princess of Wales,
first wife of Prince Charles and mother to princes William and Harry.
Months after her wedding, Catherine Middleton, who assumed her
husband's title Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge, has been
victim of the press' display of disrespect and lack of knowledge on
how to correctly address a royal consort. The same is the case with
the Countess of Wessex, wife of Prince Edward, who is sometimes
wrongly called by the press as “Sophie Wessex.”
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| The late Princess of Wales was popularly but incorrectly called Princess Diana. |
To come to full understanding of what
is the proper way to address a royal consort, here is a little
lecture for those who find this topic a bit difficult to understand.
Royal Consorts Married to Blood Royals
with Substantive Titles
Substantive title is a title of
nobility or royalty that an individual holds which he either acquires
by grant or by inheritance. Usually, heirs apparent are known for
their substantive titles, as with the case of Prince Charles, who is
known for his substantive title Prince of Wales, and Crown Prince
Felipe of Spain, the Prince of Asturias.
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| The British press loves to call the Duchess of Cambridge "Duchess Kate,"or worse, only "Kate." |
The British monarchy also assigns
substantive titles to the younger sons of the sovereign, which are
usually inherited by their elder sons.
The younger sons of Queen Elizabeth
also hold substantive titles. Prince Andrew is the Duke of York,
while Prince Edward is the Earl of Wessex. The same is applied to the
queen's male-line cousins. Prince Edward, being the elder son of
Prince George, inherited the title Duke of Kent, meanwhile, Prince
Richard, as the sole surviving son, assumed his father Prince Henry's
title, as the Duke of Gloucester.
Now, let us go to the titles of their
wives.
The late Princess of Wales was born
Lady Diana Spencer, daughter of the 8th Earl Spencer, a
member of the British nobility. Because she wasn't born a royal, she
was not entitled to carry the title “Princess” before her name.
Thus, calling her “Princess” Diana is totally incorrect. The
rightful reference to her should be Diana, Princess of Wales, or the
Princess of Wales.
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| The Countess of Wessex is sometimes called "Countess" Sophie Wessex. |
In 1996, the Prince and Princess of
Wales divorced but Diana was allowed to continue using her title,
although her style as Royal Highness ceased, being no longer a member
of the British Royal Family. She died in 1997, and the title lay
vacant. In 2006, the Prince of Wales married Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Technically, she should have every inch of right to assume the title
Princess of Wales, being the legal wife of the prince, but to avoid
confusion and in respect to Diana, who still enjoyed the love and
admiration of the Britons. Thus, she assumed her husband's second
title, which is Duchess of Cornwall. Worldwide, she is popular as
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, although in Scotland, she is referred
as the Duchess of Rothesay, because the prince's official Scottish
title is the Duke of Rothesay.
Moving forward to Prince William's
wife, Cathering Middleton officially assumed the title Duchess of
Cambridge upon their April wedding. As such, she should be officially
referred to as either Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, or the Duchess
of Cambridge, not as “Duchess” Catherine, as what most British
tabloids call her. Her complete title and style is Her Royal Highness
the Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn,
Baroness Carrickfergus.
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| The Baroness Marie-Christine Von Reibnitz is popularly known as Princess Michael of Kent after she wedded Prince Michael, a royal prince who doesn't hold a substantive title. |
The same is true with Sophie, Countess
of Wessex. She isn't “Countess” Sophie Wessex, but the Countess
of Wessex, her complete title and style being Princess Edward,
Countess of Wessex, Viscountess Severn.
Royal Consorts of Princes with
Territorial Suffix By Virtue of their Parent's Title
Prince Harry (official known as Prince
Henry of Wales), Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, Prince
Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra of Kent fall under this
category. These blood royals are usually younger sons or the
daughters of a royal prince who happens to be the younger sons of
sovereign who carries a substantive title. Prince Harry uses the
territorial suffix “of Wales” by virtue of Prince Charles being
the Prince of Wales. The same is true with Princesses Beatrice and
Eugenie, daughters of the Duke of York, and the Queen's cousins,
Prince Michael and Princess Alexandra of Kent, the younger son and
the daughter of King George V's youngest son, Prince George, Duke of
Kent.
In the case that bride weds a royal
prince with territorial suffix, she assumes her husband's name and
title. This is the case of Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz who
is popularly known as the Princess Michael of Kent, after her wedding
to Prince Michael.
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