Who were the princesses who bore the style “Princess Royal”?
There are seven princesses who bore the style “Princess Royal” since it was first used in the seventeenth century. Background: The style “Princess Royal” is usually bestowed upon the eldest daughter of the sovereign. It is “regarded as a style rather than a rank or title, as it is purely honorary, bearing no particular connotation of precedence” (The Royal Encyclopedia, edited by Ronald Allison and Sarah Riddell, 1991) The style Princess Royal came into being when Queen Henrietta Maria (daughter of Henri IV, King of France and wife of Charles I, King of England) wished to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the French King was styled (‘Madame Royale’). There can be only one Princess Royal at any given time because the style is held for life. It therefore cannot be bestowed upon the eldest daughter of the reigning sovereign during the lifetime of a current Princess Royal. The style is granted by Royal Warrant not created by Letters Patent. It is not automatically given to the eldest
