If Prince William’s eldest child, Prince George, 11, chooses to have children in the future, they will automatically inherit the titles of “HRH,” “Prince,” or “Princess.” However, this is not the case for his younger sister, Princess Charlotte.
Outdated rules dictate who is eligible for the titles of Prince and Princess, meaning even close relatives of the monarch may not qualify. While George’s future children will inherit these titles, Princess Charlotte’s children would not automatically receive them, as royal titles are traditionally passed down through sons, not daughters.
Charlotte holds her title because her mother married Prince William in 2011, allowing the young royal to inherit her status as a Princess from the future king.
Lucy Hume, associate director of etiquette experts Debrett’s, previously explained this tradition to Town & Country: “Royal titles are inherited through sons, so if Princess Charlotte has children they would not automatically inherit the titles HRH, Prince, or Princess.”
However, Ms. Hume noted, “The monarch may offer to bestow a royal title upon his or her daughter’s children.” She referenced the example of Peter and Zara Phillips, saying: “For Peter and Zara Phillips, the Queen offered to give them a royal title when they were born, but Princess Anne and Captain Phillips opted to decline this offer.”
Similarly, when Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex had their children, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, they also decided against giving them royal titles. According to the BBC, this decision reflected “the clear personal wish of Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones as being appropriate to the likely future circumstances of their children.”
Princess Charlotte made history as the first female royal to retain her position in the Line of Succession above a younger brother. This was made possible by the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, which received royal assent from the late Queen Elizabeth.
The legislation, approved by Commonwealth Nations four years earlier, replaced male-preference primogeniture with absolute primogeniture for royal children born after October 28, 2011. This change ended the tradition of younger sons overtaking elder daughters in the line of succession.
Charlotte is currently third in line to the throne, following her father, Prince William, and older brother, Prince George. Her younger brother, Prince Louis, 6, is fourth in line.
