Princesses of Wales
| Princess of Wales Tywysoges Cymru |
|
|---|---|
| Style | Her Royal Highness Ma'am |
| Term length | As long as married to the Prince of Wales |
| Inaugural holder | Joan of Kent |
| Website | www.princeofwales.gov.uk |
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Princess of Wales (Welsh: Tywysoges Cymru) is a British courtesy title held by the wife of the Prince of Wales, who is, since the 14th century, the heir apparent of the English or British monarch. The first acknowledged title holder was Eleanor de Montfort, wife of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. It has subsequently been used by wives of post-conquest princes of Wales.
The title is currently held by Camilla (the former Camilla Parker Bowles), second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales since her marriage on 9 April 2005. She does not, however, use the title, as it has remained strongly associated with the previous holder, the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Instead, she uses the title Duchess of Cornwall.
The Princess of Wales is not a princess in her own right. There have been some Princesses of Wales who were addressed as such: for example, Alexandra of Denmark and Mary of Teck were called "Princess Alexandra", and "Princess Victoria Mary" respectively. However, that was because they were already princesses when they married. Diana, Princess of Wales, was commonly called "Princess Diana" following her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales, but - as Diana herself pointed out - this was incorrect because she was not a princess in her own right.
Although not granted the title in her own right, the future Queen Mary I was, during her youth, invested by her father, Henry VIII, with many of the rights and properties traditionally given to the Prince of Wales, including use of the official seal of Wales for correspondence. For most of her childhood, Mary was her father's only legitimate heir, and for this reason she was often referred to as "the Princess of Wales", although Henry never formally created her as such. For example, Spanish scholar Juan Luis Vives dedicated his Satellitium Animi to "Dominæ Mariæ Cambriæ Principi, Henrici Octavi Angliæ Regis Filiæ".
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Wikipedia