Monday, July 8, 2013

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy

British reporters have become more lazy and sloppy.  It was announced today that the child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be styled Prince or Princess of Cambridge.  Duh. Goes without saying.  But the press, including the Daily Fail and the Daily Telegraph (I once worked as their D.C., researcher) are reporting that this baby will the first to be styled as such.

How sloppy (and incorrect) is the statement.  Verrrrry!

Prince Adolphus, 7th son and 10th child of King George III and Queen Charlotte), was created Duke of Cambridge.  He married Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel in 1818.  They had three children:  George (1819-1904), Augusta (1822-1916) and Mary Adelaide (1833-1897).

Raise your hands kiddies if you have the correct answer:  how were these three children styled?

Yes ... HRH Prince George of Cambridge, HRH Princess Augusta of Cambridge and HRH Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge.  

The Duke of Cambridge died in 1850 and was succeeded by his son, George, who became the Duke of Cambridge.  His marriage was in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act so his three sons and their male line descendants used the surname FitzGeorge   The second Duke died in 1904, and his title reverted to the Crown.

Augusta was the wife of the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.  She died in 1916 in Strelitz, but always a loyal British princess.   Mary Adelaide, the People's Princess long before Diana, married Prince Franz, Duke of Teck.   Their eldest child, Princess Mary, married Prince George, Duke of York in 1893.   George succeeded to the throne as George V.  

Thus, George and Mary were the grandparents of Queen Elizabeth.  Not only will this baby not be the first to be styled as "of Cambridge," he or she is a direct descendant of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge,  through his youngest child, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge.

When Charles succeeds to the throne,  William will be come the Duke of Cornwall and be styled as Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge until he is named as Prince of Wales.  This means William's children will be HRH Prince or Princess Christian name of Cornwall and Cambridge until the Prince of Wales title is bestowed.   After that, they will be HRH Prince or Princess Christian name of Wales.

3 comments:

Matthew Plooster said...

Amen! I hope you corrected them, Marlene. :)

Also, if they have a little prince, will he take a courtesy title?

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

no courtesy title because he has a royal title.

Barb said...

Assuming that William is eventually created Prince of Wales, wouldn't his children then become Prince or Princes of Wales? That's the current model that Harry uses, and that William did until his creation as Duke of Cambridge.