Princess of Wales

Background

Prior to "Princess" (Welsh: Tywysoges) the title of "Queen" (Welsh: Brenhines) 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

Main article: Wales in the High Middle Ages

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. 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. On 19 June 1282, she died giving birth to her first child, Gwenllian.

The infant was captured by English forces the following year, after her father, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, was killed in December 1282. At Edward I's orders, she was kept in the remote Sempringham Priory in Lincolnshire, where she remained until her death in 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. Some modern historians have accorded her the title "Princess of Wales".

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. 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.

List

Spouse of the British (formerly English) heir apparent

Joan of Kent married 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.

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

Notes

Bibliography

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

References

1. Messer, Danna R.. (2020-09-30). "Joan, Lady of Wales: Power and Politics of King John's Daughter". Pen and Sword History.
2. [[doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/14819. Kate Norgate and A. D. Carr: "Joan [Siwan]]", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford: OUP, 2004), Retrieved 2 February 2019.]
3. "Gwenllian The Lost Princess of Wales".
4. 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.
5. Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1272–81, 306; CPR, 1281–92, 11
6. ''Calendar of Ancient Correspondence'', 75–76
7. ''Foedera'' I, ii, 576, 584, 587
8. The [[Chronicle of Bury St Edmunds]], pp. 74–76
9. Fisher, Deborah. (2005). "Princesses of Wales". University of Wales Press.
10. 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.
11. "Owain Glyndwr – The Parish of Hanmer and Tallarn Green".
12. Deborah Fisher, ''Princesses of Wales'' (University of Wales Press, 2005)
13. Gwynfor Evans. (1974). "Land of my fathers: 2000 years of Welsh history". John Penry Press.
14. ''The Last Mab Darogan'', Charles Parry (Novasys, 2010) pp. 273–4.
15. ''Issues of the Exchequer, Hen. III – Hen. VI'', ed. F Devon (Record Commission, 1837), p. 327
16. Messer, Danna R.. (2020-09-30). "Joan, Lady of Wales: Power and Politics of King John's Daughter". Pen and Sword History.
17. Sims-Williams, Patrick. (2010-11-25). "Irish Influence on Medieval Welsh Literature". OUP Oxford.
18. Fisher, Deborah C.. (2005). "Princesses of Wales". University of Wales Press.
19. Deborah Fisher, ''Princesses of Wales'' (University of Wales Press, 2005)
20. ''Issues of the Exchequer, Hen. III – Hen. VI'', ed. F Devon (Record Commission, 1837), p. 327
21. Shaw, Amy (2002). ''Joan of Kent: Life and Legends''. The Ohio State University. p. 55.
22. Vives, Juan Luis. (1883). "Satellitium animi". Apud A. Pichleri viduam et filium.
23. Pimlott, Ben. (2001). "The Queen: Elizabeth II and the monarchy". HarperCollins.
24. "House of Commons – Royal Marriage". parliament.uk.
25. RegalFille. (2022-09-09). "The New Prince and Princess of Wales".
26. Courtney Herber, 'Katherine of Aragon: Diligent Diplomat and Learned Queen', Aidan Norrie, ''Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), p. 58.
27. e.g. copies of [[London Gazette]], 1714–1727.
28. Arkell, R. L.. (1939). "Caroline of Ansbach". Oxford University Press.
29. {{London Gazette. (27 January 1740)
30. Robins, Jane (2006). ''Rebel Queen: The Trial of Queen Caroline''. Simon & Schuster. p. 80. {{ISBN. 978-0-74324-862-4
31. {{London Gazette. (24 February 1821)
32. {{London Gazette. (17 March 1863)
33. {{London Gazette. (12 February 1901)
34. {{London Gazette. (3 December 1901)
35. {{London Gazette. (26 July 1910)
36. (30 January 1999). "International Special Report: Princess Diana, 1961–1997". The Washington Post.
37. "Diana, Princess of Wales". The Royal Family.
38. (4 April 2005). "Royal Marriage".
39. (13 November 2018). "The Royal Title that Camilla and Princess Diana Shared".
40. Robson, Steve. (7 May 2023). "Camilla is now just 'the Queen' following coronation as Royal Family shelves consort title in rebrand". inews.co.uk.
41. (9 September 2022). "King Charles III pays tribute to his 'darling mama' in first address".