After the royal titles of king, queen, prince, and princess come the five noble ranks: duke and duchess (the members of nobility that rank right below the monarch), marquess and marchioness, earl and countess, viscount and viscountess, and baron and baroness.
Unlike the title of Princess, Duchess is never used before a first name (i.e., "Duchess Catherine"). Instead, the correct usage is Catherine, Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. However, the Princess title is of higher rank and therefore will be primarily used.
While both duchesses and princesses are royalty, and princesses technically outrank duchesses, the relationship between the two titles is not always clearly defined. Princesses are usually the daughters or granddaughters of a king or queen.
Underneath them, you have your princes and/or princesses, those who are offspring of the king and queen. Underneath that, the ranks follow in this order: Duke/Duchess. Marquees/Marchioness. Earl/Countess.
The five titles of the peerage, in descending order of precedence, or rank, are: duke, marquess, earl, viscount, baron.
Why isn't Kate called Princess? Even though Kate's mother-in-law was legendary 'Princess Diana', she is not a princess just because she married Prince William. To become a Princess, one has to be born into the Royal Family such as Prince William and Kate's daughter, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.
The only way you can use the title of “princess” before your own name is if you were born with royal blood, like Princess Eugenie or her sister, Princess Beatrice.
Like Princess Diana (who was technically Diana, Princess of Wales), Kate was not born into the British royal family, thus necessitating her first name to precede—rather than follow—her princess title (lest it be replaced with the forename of her royal-born spouse, as "Princess William of Wales"), per the peerage.
The five possible titles, ranked from highest to lowest, are: duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron for men; duchess, marchioness, countess, viscountess, and baroness for women.
Unlike the royal women, the husbands in the monarchy have not taken the title of king. This is for two reasons: Traditionally, the title of king can only be inherited, and because the king always outranks the queen.
The honorific courtesy style of "Lady" is used for the daughters of dukes, marquesses, and earls. The courtesy title is added before the person's given name, as in the examples Lady Diana Spencer and Lady Henrietta Waldegrave.
In the context of royalty, the word duke most commonly refers to the sovereign ruler of a small state in Continental Europe called a duchy. In the British monarchy, duke is the highest hereditary title outside of prince, princess, king, or queen.
Princess Diana held the Princess of Wales title since marrying Prince Charles in 1981. When he married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, she took on the title the Duchess of Cornwall and was not given the Princess of Wales title out of respect for Diana.
She received the style Lady Diana Spencer in 1975, when her father inherited his Earldom. Lady Diana Spencer married The Prince of Wales at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 29 July 1981. During her marriage the Princess undertook a wide range of royal duties.
Royal marriages to commoners have historically been uncommon, due to traditions of members of royal families, especially high-level ones, only marrying other persons considered to be royalty, sometimes with penalties for royals who married far below their rank, deemed morganatic marriage.
In European countries, a woman who marries a prince will almost always become a princess, but a man who marries a princess will almost never become a prince, unless specifically created so.
Examples of royal intermarriage since 1918 include: Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein and Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg (1982, most recent example of intermarriage between two European dynasties reigning at the time of the wedding, as of 2023) Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark (1964)
What Kate called the Queen. While the rest of the world was required to address Queen Elizabeth as Ma'am or your majesty, those closest to her are allowed to refer to her as Mama, according to Ingrid Seward, the editor of Majesty magazine.
Further adding how Prince William didn't have to alter the band of the ring when he proposed with it back in 2010. Interestingly, given that Kate never met Diana, she revealed that the blue sapphire remains her most cherished possessions.
When Prince William is King, Kate will indeed become Queen Consort. In short: Yes, Kate will be Queen, but there are different types of queens you should probably know about. (I mean, this is the royal family we're talking about! Things aren't simple.)
Yes, you can actually buy a royal title. Royal titles are available for sale these days, and that too online. Such noble titles include Lord or Lady, Marquis or Marchioness, Baron or Baroness, Archduke or Archduchess, Duke and Duchess, and so on.
In terms of political power, yes, an empress is more powerful than a queen. While a queen has rule over a kingdom or territory, an empress has authority over multiple nations, kingdoms, or regions.
Lady is used when referring to women who hold certain titles: marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness. It can also be used of the wife of a lower-ranking noble, such as a baron, baronet, or knight. Lady is also the courtesy title for the daughters of the higher-ranking nobles duke, marquess, or earl.