Princess of Wales (; ) is a title used since the 14th century by the wife of the Prince of Wales. The Princess is the apparent future queen consort, as "Prince of Wales" is a title reserved by custom for the heir apparent to the British throne, and earlier the English throne. The current title-holder is Catherine (née Middleton).

When the title was first recorded it was not connected to the English throne; it developed in an independent Wales when it was held by Eleanor de Montfort, wife of the native Prince of Wales Llywelyn ap Gruffydd.

Background Prior to "Princess" (Welsh: ) the title of "Queen" (Welsh: ) was used by some spouses of the rulers of Wales. Examples are Angharad ferch Owain, wife of Gruffudd ap Cynan, and Cristin verch Goronwy, wife of Gruffudd's son, Owain Gwynedd (specifically, she was known as "Queen Dowager").

The title in independent Wales

Joan (Siwan) Joan, also known as Siwan (her Welsh name), was the illegitimate daughter of John of England. She was the wife of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (initially King of Gwynedd), effective ruler of all of Wales.Kate Norgate and A. D. Carr: "Joan [Siwan", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: OUP, 2004), Retrieved 2 February 2019.] During her tenure, she used the titles "Lady of Wales" and "Lady of Snowdon".

Eleanor de Montfort and Gwenllian

Following her wedding ceremony in 1278, Eleanor de Montfort was officially known as Princess of Wales.Bliss, W. H., editor. Calendar of Papal Registers Relating To Great Britain and Ireland: Volume 1, 1198–1304. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1893.Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1272–81, 306; CPR, 1281–92, 11Calendar of Ancient Correspondence, 75–76Foedera I, ii, 576, 584, 587 On 19 June 1282, she died giving birth to her first child, Gwenllian.The Chronicle of Bury St Edmunds, pp. 74–76

After her father, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, was killed on 11 December 1282, Edward I placed Gwenllian in Sempringham Priory in Lincolnshire, where she remained until her death on 7 June 1337.

Gwenllian's status was acknowledged at least once by the English Crown. When writing to the pope, attempting to secure more money for Sempringham Priory, the king stated that "...herein is kept the Princess of Wales, whom we have to maintain". The title "Princess of Wales" as used here did not have its usual accepted meaning.

Margaret Hanmer and Catrin, daughter of Glyndŵr Margaret Hanmer, sometimes known as Marred ferch Dafydd (her Welsh name), was the wife of Owain Glyndŵr.The History of the Princes, the Lords Marcher, and the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog. 1. London: T. Richards. pp. 199, 211–219. The History of the Princes, the Lords Marcher, and the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog. 1. London: T. Richards. pp. 199, 211–219. Some modern historians have accorded her the title "Princess of Wales".Deborah Fisher, Princesses of Wales (University of Wales Press, 2005)

Catrin was one of the children of Owain Glyndŵr and Margaret Hanmer. In November 1402, she married Edmund Mortimer, the second son of Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March and through his mother, a great-grandson of Edward III of England.

Edmund Mortimer died during the siege of Harlech Castle in 1409, of unknown causes.The Last Mab Darogan, Charles Parry (Novasys, 2010) pp. 273–4. Catrin was subsequently captured alongside her three daughters, and they were taken to the Tower of London, along with Catrin's mother and one of her sisters. The deaths and burials of Catrin and her daughters are recorded, but the causes of their deaths remain unknown. They were laid to rest at St Swithin's Church in London.Issues of the Exchequer, Hen. III – Hen. VI, ed. F Devon (Record Commission, 1837), p. 327

List Image Name BirthSpouseDeathNotes Joan 1191 Llywelyn ab Iorwerth 2 February 1237 Known as Siwan in Welsh;Lady of Wales and Snowdon;Proposed to have been Princess of Wales Isabella de Braose 1222 Dafydd ap Llywelyn 1248 Proposed to have been Princess of Wales Eleanor de Montfort 1252 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd 19 June 1282 Princess of Wales;Lady of Snowdon Elizabeth Ferrers 1250 Dafydd ap Gruffudd 1300 Proposed to have been Princess of Wales Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn June 1282 7 June 1337 Princess of Wales;daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Margaret Hanmer 1370 Owain Glyndŵr 1420 Later attributedDeborah Fisher, Princesses of Wales (University of Wales Press, 2005) Catrin ferch Owain Glyndŵr Edmund Mortimer 1413 Proposed to have been Princess of Wales;daughter of Owain GlyndŵrIssues of the Exchequer, Hen. III – Hen. VI, ed. F Devon (Record Commission, 1837), p. 327

Spouse of the British (formerly English) heir apparent Joan of Kent married the Prince of Wales, her cousin Edward the Black Prince, in early 1361; their marriage lacked needed dispensation and was annulled in the same year, but afterwards the pair was granted necessary documents by the Pope, and married again, making Joan the Princess of Wales for the second time.Shaw, Amy (2002). Joan of Kent: Life and Legends. The Ohio State University. p. 55.

Cecily Neville, wife of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, is omitted from this list. While her husband was briefly given various titles, including Prince of Wales, by an Act of Parliament as part of his arrangement to succeed Henry VI, he is not generally recognised as such and is not mentioned in any published summary of the topic.

Although not granted the title in her own right, the future 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 the use of the official seal of Wales for correspondence. For most of her childhood, Mary was her father's only legitimate child, and for this reason, she was often referred to as the Prince(ss) of Wales, although Henry never formally created her as such. For example, contemporary scholar Juan Luis Vives dedicated his Satellitium Animi to "Dominæ Mariæ Cambriæ Principi, Henrici Octavi Angliæ Regis Filiæ" ("Lady Mary, Prince of Wales, Daughter of Henry VIII, King of England").

Welsh politicians suggested that George VI's elder daughter, Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II), be granted the title on her 18th birthday, but he rejected the idea because he felt such a title belonged solely to the wife of a Prince of Wales and the Prince of Wales had always been the title of the heir apparent.

Camilla, Charles III's second wife, was the Princess of Wales from 2005 to 2022, but did not use the title due to its popular association with her husband's first wife, Diana. Camilla chose to be known as "Duchess of Cornwall" instead, which is traditionally a subsidiary title.

On 9 September 2022, a day after his accession to the throne, Charles III bestowed the title of "Prince of Wales" upon his elder son, William, making his wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales.

List ImagePrevious nameCoat of Arms Birth Marriage Became Princess of Wales Spouse Change in style Death Notes Joan, Countess of Kent 19 September 1328 Early 1361(1st time); 10 October 1361(2nd time) Edward of Woodstock (both times) 1361Marriage annulled(1st time); 7 June 1376(2nd time)Husband's death;became Dowager Princess of Wales 7 August 1385   Anne Neville 11 June 1456 13 December 1470 Edward of Westminster 4 May 1471Husband's death;became Dowager Princess of Wales 16 March 1485 Later became queen consort as the wife of Richard III Catherine of Aragon 16 December 1485 14 November 1501 Arthur Tudor 2 April 1502Husband's death;became Dowager Princess of WalesCourtney Herber, 'Katherine of Aragon: Diligent Diplomat and Learned Queen', Aidan Norrie, Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), p. 58. 7 January 1536Later became queen consort as the wife of Henry VIII. Marriage annulled in 1533 Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach 1 March 1683 22 August 1705 27 September 1714e.g. copies of London Gazette, 1714–1727. George Augustus 11 June 1727Husband acceded to throne as George II;became queen consort 20 November 1737   Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 30 November 1719 17 April 1736 Frederick Louis 31 March 1751Husband's death;became Dowager Princess of Wales 8 February 1772   Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 17 May 1768 8 April 1795Robins, Jane (2006). Rebel Queen: The Trial of Queen Caroline. Simon & Schuster. p. 80. George Augustus Frederick 29 January 1820Husband acceded to throne as George IV;became queen consort 7 August 1821   Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia of Denmark 1 December 1844 10 March 1863 Albert Edward 22 January 1901Husband acceded to throne as Edward VII;became queen consort 20 November 1925   Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes of Teck 26 May 1867 6 July 1893 9 November 1901 George Frederick Ernest Albert 6 May 1910Husband acceded to throne as George V;became queen consort 24 March 1953   Diana Frances Spencer 1 July 1961 29 July 1981 Charles Philip Arthur George 28 August 1996Divorced;assumed the style of Diana, Princess of Wales 31 August 1997   Camilla Rosemary Shand 17 July 1947 9 April 2005 8 September 2022Husband acceded to throne as Charles III;became queen consort living Known as Duchess of Cornwall during her tenure Catherine Elizabeth Middleton 9 January 1982 29 April 2011 9 September 2022 William Arthur Philip Louis Incumbent living  

See also The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) The Princess of Wales' Own Regiment (Canada)

Notes

Bibliography Princesses of Wales by Deborah Fisher. University of Wales Press, 2005. 'Tystiolaeth Garth Celyn' Y Traethodydd 1998

Further reading