P rince Edward's daughter has missed out on a royal title due to an ancient tradition that favours sons over daughters. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, 19, will not inherit the title Countess of Wessex with it skipping her for her younger brother, James, who will become the Earl of Wessex.
Upon his wedding to Sophie Rhys-Jones, Prince Edward agreed with the Queen that their kids would be deemed as children of an Earl, instead of being called His or Her Royal Highness.
Lady Louise in 2015 with her parents, Prince Edward and Countess Sophie. Born with esotropia, a condition that turns the eyes outwards, Lady Louise had difficulties with her vision growing up. She underwent her first eye procedure at just 18 months in order to correct her vision.
The couple welcomed their first child, son Peter, in 1977, and their second child, daughter Zara, in 1981. In an effort to give her kids normal childhoods, Princess Anne decided not to give them royal titles.
Hence, James was known as Viscount Severn until his parents were made Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and then he became James, Earl of Wessex. He will not inherit his father's Duke of Edinburgh title. According to the BBC, "It is thought this decision was made to avoid some of the burdens of royal titles."
As the daughter of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Louise would have been titled as Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wessex. However, it was agreed by the Wessexes and the Queen that their children would not have Prince or Princess titles.
Royal author Duncan Larcombe told Town and Country magazine: "The title of Princess Royal is traditionally bestowed on the eldest daughter of the monarch. "It is a title that remains for life, so Princess Charlotte will have to wait at least until the death of the current Princess Royal."
Zara and Peter's father Captain Mark Phillips is not a member of the royal family, and he declined the offer of an earldom, so the children were not given titles from birth.
This is because when a member of the royal family has a child, tradition says that only the father may pass on his title, and the only princes and princesses in the family have fathers in the direct line of succession.
Centuries-old royal tradition dictates that only male royals can pass down royal titles, and you can only be a prince or a princess if you have a father in the direct line of succession. Since Zara Tindall is the daughter of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, who is a commoner, this means she cannot be a princess.
Who is Lady Louise Windsor - Queen Elizabeth's favourite grandchild. The late Queen Elizabeth and her granddaughter had a very special bond. Lady Louise Windsor, the eldest child of Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, is the granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Sophie, duchess of Edinburgh, née Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones, formerly (1999–2023) Sophie, countess of Wessex, (born January 20, 1965, Oxford, England), British consort (1999– ) of Prince Edward, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, duke of Edinburgh.
Edward was created Earl of Wessex prior to marrying Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. The couple have two children: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex. Edward's mother conferred him the additional title of Earl of Forfar in 2019.
Beatrice and her younger sister Eugenie hold a special status in the royal family as so-called "blood princesses". This means that unlike the newly minted Princess of Wales, they were born royal rather than marrying into the family.
It's not because he's the black sheep of the family—quite the contrary, as he's known to be especially close to his parents. Apparently, it was all his choice. According to The Telegraph, he was set to be Duke of Cambridge, but declined because of a character named Lord Wessex in Shakespeare in Love.
Out of all of the kids, Prince Edward, now known as the Earl of Wessex, is believed to be the Queen and Prince Philip's favorite child. In fact, it was reported that Edward's portrait was the only one in Philip's study.
Princess Anne is the Queen's second-born child, but she's below her two younger brothers in the line of succession because, as with Lady Louise above her, the 2013 Succession of the Crown Act doesn't apply retroactively.
Zara's father Captain Mark Phillips, 63, to divorce again as he leaves second wife for US Olympic horse rider 30 years his junior. Captain Mark Phillips, 63 - who is father to the Queen's grandchildren Peter and Zara Phillips – has left his wife Sandy after a year-long affair with American equestrienne Lauren Hough, 35 ...
P rince Edward's daughter has missed out on a royal title due to an ancient tradition that favours sons over daughters. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, 19, will not inherit the title Countess of Wessex with it skipping her for her younger brother, James, who will become the Earl of Wessex.
She is the daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, and Captain Mark Phillips. She is a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, a niece of King Charles III and 21st in the line of succession to the British throne.
"Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but it's highly unlikely." Lady Louise, therefore, absolutely has the right to be titled a Princess at this time. However, the move seems unlikely at this point.
Princess Beatrice, who is the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, was originally named Annabel. But because Queen Elizabeth II did not approve of it, it was later changed to Beatrice. As is known, the Queen is the sole decision-maker in the British Royal Family.
While there are no rules that would stop Charlotte from wearing pants more often, royal expert Marlene Koenig, who runs the Royal Musings blog, told Harper's Bazaar that historically royal girls are often encouraged to wear dresses on formal occasions.
Princess Charlotte has been refered as "the richest kid in the world" due to her status as a member of the British royal family, which is one of the wealthiest and most prominent royal families in the world.
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.