The royal family is gearing up for some major changes now that Prince Charles has morphed into King Charles, and apparently his desire for a “slimmed down monarchy” could result in Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie losing their titles.
Royal expert Marlene Koenig told The Express, “Yes, there will be a change, and it could include downgrading Beatrice and Eugenie to the style of daughters of a Duke. This was done in the 1917 Letters Patent for the great-grandchildren in the male line, which is why the present Duke of Gloucester and the present Duke of Kent (who are grandsons in the male line) are the last to have the HRH and Prince as their children are not royal.”
Koenig added that “Charles will indeed make it more restrictive but it will have to do first and foremost with the gender equal succession—which most people forget about.”
So, what are the alternative titles for former Princes and Princesses? Simply Lord and Lady (and sometimes Earl, apparently). Meaning, if Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie do get downgraded, they’ll likely still have fancy monikers.
And if you’re slightly confused as to what, exactly, King George V’s “Letters Patent” even is, it’s basically a rule that stipulates Prince/Princess titles can only apply to the children of the monarch, the children of the monarch’s sons, and the Prince of Wales’ oldest son’s oldest son. Queen Elizabeth changed things up so that all of Prince William’s kids could be styled Prince/Princess, so there’s clearly a precedent set for monarchs bending the rules.
And yep, the King George V Letters Patent does mean that Prince Harry’s kids Archie and Lilibet are now eligible to be Prince/Princess.