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| Louise Princess Royal |
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| Mary Princess Royal |
In a royal case of "keeping up with the Joneses," King Charles I created the title Princess Royal for his daughter Mary in 1642, so that she would be honored as the Daughters of France were. In France, the title "Madame Royale" was traditionally used by the oldest, unmarried daughter of the king. It was only used until the royal parent's death or the daughter's marriage. Then, it was passed to the next unmarried princess. Charles' wife Henrietta Maria of France was the Madame Royale from the marriage of her older sister Christine in 1619 until her own marriage six years later. In England, the title Princess Royal is a bit different. It is formally granted by Royal Warrant instead of by etiquette. The bearer keeps the title for life. It is only granted to the oldest daughter of a monarch.
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| Louisa Maria Stuart |
The only woman granted the title who was not the eldest daughter was the Jacobite Princess Louisa Maria whose father King James II had been forced off the throne in 1688 and replaced by his eldest daughter Mary and her husband William. Ex-King James still had two older living daughters at the time but they had both "betrayed" him in the Glorious Revolution. Since he was no longer king, it is debatable whether he had the right to grant the title.
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| Mary, aunt of Queen Elizabeth II |
Charles II, who had many daughters, but no legitimate ones
William and Mary, who had no surviving children
Anne, whose daughters died before she became queen
George I, whose only daughter was already Queen in Prussia when he ascended the throne
George IV, whose only daughter died in childbirth two years before he became king
William IV, whose infant daughters died before he before he became king
Edward VIII, who had no children
George VI, who could not grant the title to his eldest daughter, the current Queen Elizabeth II, because his own sister Mary held the title until after his death
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| Charlotte Princess Royal |
Counting Princes of Orange (predecessors of the Kings of the Netherlands), the first four Princesses Royal married foreign monarchs: Mary (daughter of Charles I) married William II of Orange; Anne (daughter of George II) married William IV of Orange; Charlotte (daughter of George III) married Frederick I of Wurttemburg (which wasn't a kingdom for very long); and Victoria (daughter of Victoria) married Frederick III of Germany. The last time a Princess Royal married a prince/king was in 1858.
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| Victoria Princess Royal |
Only Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Vicky, ever held the distinction of being both Princess Royal and the Heiress Presumptive. Because Victoria acceded the throne before she married and had children, her first child was automatically the heir to the throne, even though that child was a girl. However, little Princess Vicky lost that distinction less than a year later, due to male primogeniture when her first brother was born. He grew up to be King Edward VII.
What is the full name of the current Princess Royal?
The current Princess Royal is the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II. She was granted the title in 1987 when she was 36, even though the title had been available since the death of her great-aunt Mary in 1965. Her full name is Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise. Anne is presumable a name liked by the queen as it is rare in the modern royal family, while Elizabeth and Alice pay tribute to the princess's grandmothers. As for Louise, this name is found in both the Windsor and Mountbatten family trees, and may be a tribute to Prince Philip's uncle (and surrogate father) Earl Louis Mountbatten of Burma.
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