Why Lady Louise Windsor is Not a Princess: The Royal Decision That Sparked Controversy

Lady Louise Windsor and her brother, James, the Earl of Wessex, could have been princess and prince according to royal rules, but a deliberate choice made by their parents has kept them from these titles.

Despite meeting the criteria to be called princess under longstanding royal protocols, Lady Louise Windsor does not hold that title.

The offspring of a reigning monarch are traditionally granted the designation of prince or princess and are always referred to as H.R.H., as per the 1917 Letters Patent.

This rule, established during King George V's reign, also applies to descendants in the male line of the monarch.

While a sovereign's son's children can inherit the H.R.H.

title and be known as princes or princesses, the same does not apply to the children of a monarch's daughter.

This regulation implies that Lady Louise, aged 20, who is the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Edward's daughter, has the rightful claim to both the H.R.H.

status and the title of princess.

Notably, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew, are recognized as princesses.

On the other hand, Princess Anne's children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, are not bestowed with royal titles and are simply known by their names.

In a similar vein, Lady Louise is not referred to as a princess despite her lineage.

In a departure from tradition, Prince Harry relinquished his H.R.H.

title when he and Meghan Markle chose to step back from their royal duties.

However, the children of Prince Charles and Prince Andrew continue to utilize the H.R.H.

designation.

Following Prince Edward's marriage to Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, Buckingham Palace issued a statement confirming the couple's decision that their children would not be styled as H.R.H.

This decision was made in the aftermath of Princess Diana's tragic demise in a car accident in Paris in 1997, which had stirred public emotions and criticism towards the royal family's handling of her situation.

Amidst the turmoil surrounding royal titles during that period, it was agreed within the royal household that instead of bestowing the titles of prince and princess upon their future offspring, Edward and Sophie's children would receive titles more fitting for an earl.

Consequently, following their marriage, Edward assumed the title of Earl of Wessex, while Sophie became the Countess of Wessex.

Although they were initially given the titles Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh during King Charles' reign, they later transitioned to their current titles.

Even though Sophie had previously announced that her daughter would be entitled to use the princess and H.R.H.

titles upon turning 18, this did not materialize due to the significant decision made by Lady Louise's parents.

Dr. Craig Prescott, an expert in UK constitutional law and politics at Bangor University, suggests that King Charles could have granted a title to Lady Louise, but it seems that Edward and Sophie intentionally opted against such an action.