The Royal Family is shared between the Commonwealth realms; this article focuses on the perspective of United Kingdom.

For information on the Royal Family in the other realms, see In other Commonwealth realms. The Royal Family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms

HM The Queen HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

HRH The Prince of Wales HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

o

HRH The Duke of Cambridge HRH The Duchess of Cambridge HRH Prince Harry of Wales

HRH The Princess Royal HRH The Duke of York

o o

HRH Princess Beatrice of York HRH Princess Eugenie of York

HRH The Earl of Wessex HRH The Countess of Wessex

o o

Viscount Severn Lady Louise Windsor

HRH The Duke of Gloucester

HRH The Duchess of Gloucester

HRH The Duke of Kent HRH The Duchess of Kent HRH Prince Michael of Kent HRH Princess Michael of Kent HRH Princess Alexandra v t e

The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people who are the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with official national terms for the family.[1] Members of the Royal Family belong to, either by birth or marriage, the House of Windsor, since 1917, when George V changed the name of the royal house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. This decision was primarily taken because Britain and her Empire were at war with Germany and given the British Royal Family's strong German ancestry; it was felt that its public image could be improved by choosing a more British house name. The new name chosen, Windsor, had absolutely no connection other than as the name of the castle which was and continues to be a royal residence. Although in the United Kingdom there is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of the Royal Family, and different lists will include different people, those carrying the style Her or His Majesty (HM), or Her or His Royal Highness (HRH) are always considered members, which usually results in the application of the term to the monarch, the consort of the monarch, the widowed consorts of previous monarchs, the children of the monarch and previous monarchs, the male-line grandchildren of the monarch and previous monarchs, and the spouses and the widows of a monarch's and previous monarch's sons and male-line grandsons. On 30 November 1917, King George V issued Letters Patent defining who are members of the Royal Family; the text of the notice from the London Gazette is as follows: Whitehall, 11th December, 1917. The KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date the 30th ultimo, to define the styles and titles to be borne henceforth by members of the Royal Family. It is declared by the Letters Patent that the children of any Sovereign of the United Kingdom and the children of the sons of any such Sovereign and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales shall have and at all times hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names

or with their other titles of honour; that save as aforesaid the titles of Royal Highness, Highness or Serene Highness, and the titular dignity of Prince and Princess shall cease except those titles already granted and remaining unrevoked; and that the grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes. In 1996, Her Majesty The Queen modified these Letters Patent, as was evidenced by this Notice from the London Gazette: The QUEEN has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 21st August 1996, to declare that a former wife (other than a widow until she shall remarry) of a son of a Sovereign of these Realms, of a son of a son of a Sovereign and of the eldest living son of the eldest son of The Prince of Wales shall not be entitled to hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness. In 2013 Letters Patent were issued to extend a title and a style borne by members of the Royal Family to additional persons to be born, evidenced by this Notice from the London Gazette:[2] The QUEEN has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 31 December 2012 to declare that all the children of the eldest son of The Prince of Wales should have and enjoy the style, title and attribute of Royal Highness with the titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their Christian names or with such other titles of honour. Members and relatives of the British Royal Family historically represented the monarch in various places throughout the British Empire, sometimes for extended periods as viceroys, or for specific ceremonies or events. Today, they often perform ceremonial and social duties throughout the United Kingdom and abroad on behalf of the United Kingdom. Aside from the monarch, their only constitutional role in the affairs of government is to serve, if eligible and when appointed by letters patent, as a Counsellor of State, two or more of whom exercise the authority of the Crown (within stipulated limits) in the indisposal or absence from the British realm of the monarch. In the other realms of the Commonwealth royalty do not serve as Counsellors of State. However in each such realm the monarch's family members may act on behalf of, are funded by, and represent the sovereign of that particular state, and not the United Kingdom.[citation needed] The Queen, her consort, her children and grandchildren, as well as all former sovereigns' children and grandchildren hold places in the first sections of the official orders of precedence in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Wives of the said enjoy their husbands' precedence, and husbands of princesses are unofficially but habitually placed with their wives as well. However, the Queen changed the private order of precedence in the Royal Family in favour of Princesses Anne and Alexandra, who henceforth take private precedence over the Duchess of Cornwall, who is otherwise the realm's highest ranking woman after the Queen herself.[3][4] She did not alter the relative precedence of other bornprincesses, such as the daughters of her younger sons.

List of members

The Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the annual Trooping the Colour in 2012. This is a list of current members of the Royal Family who bear the style of Majesty or Royal Highness:

HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (her husband)

o

TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall[5] (The Queen's eldest son and his second wife)

TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (The Prince of Wales' elder son and his wife) HRH Prince Harry of Wales (The Prince of Wales' younger son)

HRH The Duke of York (The Queen's second son)

HRH Princess Beatrice of York (The Duke of York's elder daughter) HRH Princess Eugenie of York (The Duke of York's younger daughter)

TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex (The Queen's third son and his wife)

Viscount Severn (The Earl and Countess of Wessex's son) The Lady Louise Windsor (The Earl and Countess of Wessex's daughter)

HRH The Princess Royal (The Queen's daughter)

TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (The Queen's cousin and his wife) TRH The Duke and Duchess of Kent (The Queen's cousin and his wife) TRH Prince and Princess Michael of Kent (The Queen's cousin and his wife)

HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (The Queen's cousin)

Collaterals There are a few immediate family members (a spouse and the children and grandchildren of its current full or deceased members) carrying no official Royal style who sometimes appear in listings:[6]

VAdm Sir Timothy Laurence (The Princess Royal's second and current husband)
o

Mr & Mrs Peter Phillips (The Princess Royal's son by Capt Mark Phillips, and his wife, Autumn)

Miss Savannah Phillips (Peter Phillips' elder daughter, The Queen's first greatgrandchild) Miss Isla Phillips (Peter Phillips' younger daughter, The Queen's second greatgrandchild)

Mrs Michael Tindall MBE & Michael Tindall MBE, Esq (The Princess Royal's daughter by Capt Mark Phillips, known as Zara Phillips, and her husband)

Viscount & Viscountess Linley (The Princess Margaret's son and his wife)
o o

The Hon Charles Armstrong-Jones (Lord Linley's son) The Hon Margarita Armstrong-Jones (Lord Linley's daughter)

The Lady Sarah Chatto & Daniel Chatto Esq (The Princess Margaret's daughter and her husband)
o o

Mr Samuel Chatto (Lady Sarah's elder son) Mr Arthur Chatto (Lady Sarah's younger son)

The following persons are descendants (or widows) of the younger children of Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V:

Earl & Countess of Ulster (The Duke of Gloucester's son and his wife)
o o

Lord Culloden (Lord Ulster's son) The Lady Cosima Windsor (Lord Ulster's daughter)

The Lady Davina Lewis & Mr Gary Lewis (The Duke of Gloucester's elder daughter and her husband)
o o

Mr Tane Mahuta Lewis (Lady Davina's son)[7] Miss Senna Lewis (Lady Davina's daughter)

The Lady Rose Gilman & George Gilman Esq (The Duke of Gloucester's younger daughter and her husband)
o

Miss Lyla Gilman (Lady Rose's daughter)

Earl & Countess of St Andrews (The Duke of Kent's elder son and his wife)
o o o

Lord Downpatrick (Lord St Andrews' son) The Lady Marina Charlotte Windsor (Lord St Andrews' elder daughter) The Lady Amelia Windsor (Lord St Andrews' younger daughter)

The Lord & Lady Nicholas Windsor (The Duke of Kent's younger son and his wife)
o o

Albert Windsor Esq (Lord Nicholas' elder son) Leopold Windsor Esq (Lord Nicholas' younger son)

The Lady Helen Taylor & Timothy Taylor Esq (The Duke of Kent's daughter and her husband)
o o o o

Mr Columbus Taylor (Lady Helen's elder son) Mr Cassius Taylor (Lady Helen's younger son) Miss Eloise Taylor (Lady Helen's elder daughter) Miss Estella Taylor (Lady Helen's younger daughter)

The Lord & Lady Frederick Windsor (Prince Michael of Kent's son and his wife, known as Sophie Winkleman) The Lady Gabriella Windsor (Prince Michael of Kent's daughter) Mr & Mrs James Ogilvy (Princess Alexandra's son, and his wife)
o o

Mr Alexander Ogilvy (James Ogilvy's son) Miss Flora Ogilvy (James Ogilvy's daughter)

Mrs Marina Ogilvy (Princess Alexandra's daughter)

o o

Christian Mowatt Esq (Marina Ogilvy's son by Mr Paul Mowatt) Miss Zenouska Mowatt (Marina Ogilvy's daughter by Mr Paul Mowatt)

The Rt Hon The Earl of Harewood, great-grandson of King George V through his daughter The Princess Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood

His stepmother (The Dowager Countess of Harewood), wife, children, brothers, nephews, nieces and his late uncle's son and grandson

HG The Duke of Fife (great-grandson of King Edward VII through his daughter The Princess Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife)
o

His children and grandchildren

The Rt Hon The Lady Saltoun (widow of Capt Alexander Ramsay of Mar, great-grandson of Queen Victoria through her son The Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn)
o

Ramsay's children and grandchildren

The Most Hon The Marquess of Milford Haven (great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria through her daughter The Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine)
o

His mother (Janet Mountbatten, The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven), wife, children, brother and nieces

The Rt Hon The Countess Mountbatten of Burma (Lord Milford Haven's first cousin onceremoved, great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria through her daughter The Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine)
o

Her children, grandchildren, sister and her sister's children and grandchildren

The Earl of Harewood was a female-line first cousin of the Queen and acted as a Counsellor of State. The Duke of Fife, the Marquess of Milford Haven, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and the Lady Saltoun, and their respective families, as well as Lord Harewood's descendants, are so distant in kinship from the reigning Sovereign that they are relatives, rather than members, of the Royal Family. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall has two adult children from her first marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, and five grandchildren. Neither of Duchess' children nor their spouses, the former Sara Buys and Harry Lopes, undertake official royal duties and are all involved in private section work. None of these persons receive any money from the State or undertake official engagements on behalf of the Queen, although they remain eligible to serve as Counsellors of State. However, the Queen does invite them to private family functions and to participate in official royal occasions, such as the Trooping the Colour, the Golden Jubilee celebrations, and ceremonial or state funerals. There are three living former spouses of members of the British Royal Family:

Sarah, Duchess of York (former wife of HRH The Duke of York and the mother of HRH Princess Beatrice and HRH Princess Eugenie) Capt Mark Phillips (the first husband of The Princess Royal)

The Rt Hon The Earl of Snowdon (the former husband of Princess Margaret)

The Duke of York and his former wife Sarah, Duchess of York divorced in 1996. She lost the style of Royal Highness but was allowed the style "Sarah, Duchess of York". Unlike Lord Snowdon and Captain Phillips, Sarah has never remarried and still attends some functions with her daughters, such as the investiture of The Duke of York into the Royal Victorian Order, on which occasions she is afforded the courtesy of treatment as a member of the Royal Family, although the Lord Chamberlain's Diamond Jubilee Guidelines mention the Duchess specifically as being a member of the Royal Family in her own right.[8][9] Recently deceased members of the Royal Family include:

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (widow of HM King George VI and mother of The Queen) The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (sister of The Queen) Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (widow of HRH The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and mother to the present Duke of Gloucester) Diana, Princess of Wales (first wife of The Prince of Wales, the mother of The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry)

Sir Angus Ogilvy, who died in 2004, was the husband of Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy and a first-cousin-in law of The Queen. He supported his wife in her royal duties and sometimes accompanied the Princess during her royal tours abroad. As a husband of a princess of the blood royal, he was listed as an immediate member of the Royal Family in the same way as it is today with The Princess Royal's current husband, Sir Timothy Laurence. The Prince of Wales' first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in 1997. They had divorced in 1996. She lost the style of Royal Highness but was allowed the style "Diana, Princess of Wales" and continued to be treated as a member of the Royal Family and was accorded the same precedence she enjoyed whilst being married to The Prince of Wales when accompanying her children, The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, second and third in line, respectively, to the throne. Notes 1. ^ After his abdication in 1936, King Edward VIII became HRH The Duke of Windsor. Members of the British Royal Family since 1714

HM King George I (16601727)

o

HM King George II (16831760)

HRH The Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales (17071751)

HM King George III (17381820)

HM King George IV (17621830)

HRH Princess Charlotte of Wales, Princess Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess in Saxony (17961817)

HRH The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (17631827) HM King William IV (17651837)

HRH Princess Charlotte of Clarence (1819) HRH Princess Elizabeth of Clarence (18201821)

HRH The Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767 1820)

HM Queen Victoria (18191901)

HM King Edward VII (18411910)

HRH Prince Albert Victor of Wales, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (18641892) HM King George V (18651936)

HM King Edward VIII (1894 1972) HM King George VI (1895 1952)

HM The Queen (1926-)

o

HRH The Prince of Wales (1948-)

HRH The Duke of Cambridge (1982-) HRH Prince Henry of Wales (1984-)

HRH The Duke of York (1960-)

HRH Princess Beatrice of York (1988-) HRH Princess Eugenie of York (1990-)

HRH The Earl of Wessex (1964-)

Viscount Severn (2007-)

The Lady Louise Windsor (2003-)

HRH The Princess Royal (1950-)

HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (19302002)

HRH The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (19001974)

HRH Prince William of Gloucester (19411972) HRH The Duke of Gloucester (1944-)

HRH The Prince George, Duke of Kent (19021942)

HRH The Duke of Kent (1935-) HRH Prince Michael of Kent (1942-) HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy (1936-)

HRH The Prince John (1905 1919) HRH The Princess Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood (18971965)

HRH Prince Alexander John of Wales (1871) HRH The Princess Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife (18671931)

HRH Princess Alexandra of Fife, Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife (18911959)[N 1] HH Princess Maud of Fife, Countess of Southesk (1893 1945)[N 2]

HRH The Princess Victoria (18681935) HM The Princess Maud, Queen of Norway (18691938)

HRH The Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (18441900)

HRH Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (18741899) HM Princess Marie of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Queen of Romania (18751938) HIH Princess Victoria of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna of Russia (1876 1936) HRH Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (18781942) HRH Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Galliera (18841966)

HRH The Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (18501942)

HRH Prince Arthur of Connaught (1883 1938)

HH Prince Alastair of Connaught (19141943)[N 3]

HRH Princess Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden (18821920) HRH Princess Patricia of Connaught, Lady Patricia Ramsay (18861974)

HRH The Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853 1884)

HRH Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (18841953)

HH Prince John Leopold of Albany, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1906 1972) HH Prince Hubert of SaxeCoburg and Gotha and Albany (19091943) HH Princess Sibylla of SaxeCoburg and Gotha and Albany (19081972) HH Princess Caroline Matilda of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Albany (19121983)

HRH Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone (18831981)

HI&RM The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia (1840 1901) HRH The Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine (18431878) HRH The Princess Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (18461923) HRH The Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (18481939) HRH The Princess Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg (18571944)

HM The Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, King Ernst August I of Hanover (17711851)

HM Prince George, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, King Georg V of Hanover (18191878)

HRH Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, Crown Prince of Hanover (18451923)

HRH Prince George William of Hanover and Cumberland (18801912) HRH Prince Christian of Hanover and Cumberland (18851901) HRH Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover and Cumberland, Duke of Brunswick (18871953)

HRH Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover and Cumberland, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick (19141987) HRH Prince George William of Hanover and Cumberland (19152006) HRH Princess Frederica of Hanover and Cumberland (19171981)

HRH Princess Marie Louise of Hanover and Cumberland, Princess Maximilian of Baden (18791948) HRH Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (18821963) HRH Princess Olga of Hanover and Cumberland (18841958)

HRH Princess Frederica of Hanover and Cumberland, Baroness von Pawel-Rammingen (18481926) HRH Princess Marie of Hanover and Cumberland (18491904)

HRH The Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (1773 1843) HRH The Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (17741850)

HRH Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (18191904) HRH Princess Augusta of Cambridge, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (18221916) HRH Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck (18331897)

HRH The Prince Octavius (17791783) HRH The Prince Alfred (17801782) HM The Princess Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Wrttemberg (17661828) HRH The Princess Augusta Sophia (17681840) HRH The Princess Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg (17701840) HRH The Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh (17761857) HRH The Princess Sophia (17771848) HRH The Princess Amelia (17831810)

HRH Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany (17391767) HRH Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1743 1805)

HRH Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (17761834) HRH Princess Sophia of Gloucester (17731844) HH Princess Caroline of Gloucester (17741775)

HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn (17451790) HRH Prince Frederick (17501765) HRH Princess Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick (17371813) HRH Princess Elizabeth (17411759) HRH Princess Louisa (17491768)

HM Princess Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway (1751 1775)

HRH Prince George William (17171718) HRH The Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (17211765) HRH The Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange (17091759) HRH The Princess Amelia (17111786) HRH The Princess Caroline (17131757) HRH The Princess Mary, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (17231772) HM The Princess Louise, Queen of Denmark and Norway (17241751)

HM The Princess Sophia Dorothea, Queen in Prussia (16871757)

Notes 1. ^ Princess Alexandra was a female-line granddaughter of Edward VII but she was created by her grandfather the King a Princess of Great Britain and Ireland with the style Highness and precedence immediately after all members of the Royal Family with the style Royal Highness. In 1912, Princess Alexandra became the 2nd Duchess of Fife, after the death of her father, Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife. In 1913, Princess Alexandra married her cousin, Prince Arthur of Connaught (for him and their son, Alastair of Connaught, see the list below) and was accorded to her husband's higher style Royal Highness. 2. ^ Princess Maud was a female-line granddaughter of Edward VII but she was created by her grandfather the King a Princess of Great Britain and Ireland with the style Highness and precedence immediately after all members of the Royal Family with the style Royal Highness. Following her marriage with Lord Carnegie in 1923, Maud ceased to use the title of Princess and the style Highness and was known as Lady Carnegie, and later The Countess of Southesk. In 1959, the Earl and Countess of Southesk's son and only child, James Carnegie, became the 3rd Duke of Fife, after the death of his maternal aunt, Princess Arthur of Connaught, 2nd Duchess (see the list and note above). 3. ^ Alastair Windsor was the son and only child of two persons listed above, Prince Arthur of Connaught and his wife, Princess Arthur of Connaught, 2nd Duchess of Fife. He was born a Prince of the United Kingdom with the style Highness, as he was a male-line great-grandson of Queen Victoria, but he lost his official Royal status in 1917, when George V issued Letters Patent which excluded Alastair from the list of British Princes and Princesses of Blood Royal. He was the only British prince who lost his status after the 1917 changes. He was the heir to both his paternal and maternal grandfathers' peerages, the Dukedom of Connaught and Strathearn and Dukedom of Fife, which was held by his mother and the 1st Duke's elder daughter, Princess

Arthur of Connaught. In 1942, Alastair Windsor inherited the Dukedom of Connaught and Strathearn, after the death of his paternal grandfather, The Prince Arthur. The 2nd Duke of Connaught died unmarried and childless in 1943 and his Dukedom became extinct. The Dukedom of Fife passed in 1959, after the 2nd Duchess' death, to her younger sister's son, James, Lord Carnegie. In the United Kingdom Public role and image

The Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2009 at the ceremony of Trooping the Colour. Members of the Royal Family participate in hundreds of public engagements yearly throughout the whole of the United Kingdom, as formally recorded in the Court Circular, to honour, encourage and learn about the achievements or endeavours of individuals, institutions and enterprises in a variety of areas of life. As representatives of HM The Queen, they often also join the nation in commemorating historical events, holidays, celebratory and tragic occurrences, and may also sponsor or participate in numerous charitable, cultural and social activities. Their travels abroad on behalf of the United Kingdom (called State Visits when the sovereign officially meets with other heads of state) draw celebrity-like attention to amicable relations within and between the Commonwealth and other nations, to British goods and trade, and to Britain as a historical, vacation, and tourist destination. Their presence, activities and traditional roles constitute the apex of a modern "royal court," and provide a distinctly British and historical pageantry to ceremonies (e.g. Trooping the Colour) and flavour to public events (e.g. Garden Parties, Ascot). Throughout their lives they draw enormous media coverage in the form of photographic, written and televised commentary on their activities, family relationships, rites of passage, personalities, attire, behaviour, and public roles. Although even senior members of the Royal Family often now drive themselves instead of having a driver.[10] In a lengthy interview conducted by PBS prior to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in August 1997,[11] Max Hastings, editor of the Daily Telegraph between 1986 and 1995, discussed the impact of Andrew Morton's and Jonathan Dimbleby's biographies of, respectively, Diana, Princess of Wales and HRH The Prince of Wales on subsequent news coverage of the Royal Family in the UK.

Funding Main article: Finances of the British Royal Family Members of the Royal Family carry out public duties; these individuals receive an annual payment known as a Parliamentary Annuity, the funds being supplied to cover office costs. These amounts are repaid by HM The Queen from her private funds. Though always voluntarily subject to the Value Added Tax and other indirect taxes, HM The Queen agreed to pay taxes on income and capital gains from 1992, although the details of this arrangement are both voluntary and secret. At the same time it was announced that only HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh would receive civil list payments. Since 1993, HM The Queen's personal estate (e.g. shareholdings, personal jewellery, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle) will be subject to Inheritance Tax, though bequests from Sovereign to Sovereign are exempt.[12] Royal styles and titles

Members of the Royal Family in the Royal box at Westminster Abbey during the coronation of Elizabeth II. The style His Majesty or Her Majesty (HM) is enjoyed by a king, a queen regnant, a queen consort, and a queen dowager. Use of the style His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness (HRH) and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess are governed by letters patent issued by George V on 30 November 1917 and published in the London Gazette on 11 December 1917. These letters patent state that henceforth only the children of the Sovereign, the children of the sons of the Sovereign, and the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would "have and at all times hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names or with their other titles of honour." They further state, "the grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes."

Under these conventions, HM The Queen's children, the children of HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH The Duke of York and HRH The Earl of Wessex would all be titled Princes or Princesses and styled Royal Highness, as would be the eldest son of HRH The Duke of Cambridge. However, upon HRH The Earl of Wessex's marriage in 1999, it was announced that his children would be styled as an earl's children. The Duke of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy and Prince Michael of Kent enjoy the titular dignity of Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness as male-line grandchildren of HM King George V. However, none of their children (being only great-grandchildren of a monarch) have royal titles. For example, the children of Prince Michael of Kent are known as Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Gabriella Windsor, bearing courtesy titles as if they were the children of a duke. They are not entitled to any royal title. The children of HRH The Princess Royal, HRH Princess Alexandra, and Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, are not entitled to any royal title since princesses do not transmit their titles to their children. An exception to this rule was when HM King George VI issued letters patent such that his heiress presumptive, HRH The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, could transmit her title to her children. HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon's son enjoys the courtesy title Viscount Linley as the son and heir of The Earl of Snowdon, while her daughter enjoys the courtesy title Lady. The children of HRH The Princess Royal and of HRH Princess Alexandra have no titles, because Mark Phillips and Sir Angus Ogilvy did not accept hereditary peerages upon marriage.

The Royal Family on the Balcony of Buckingham Palace in 1986 at the ceremony of Trooping the Colour. Women marrying sons and male-line grandsons of a Sovereign are normally styled Her Royal Highness followed by the feminised version of her husband's highest title. The wives of royal peers are known as "HRH The Duchess of ..." or " HRH The Countess of ..." Thus, the wives of HRH The Duke of Cambridge, HRH The Earl of Wessex, HRH The Duke of Gloucester and HRH The Duke of Kent are "HRH The Duchess of Cambridge," "HRH The Countess of Wessex," "HRH The Duchess of Gloucester," and "HRH The Duchess of Kent," respectively. Before their divorces, Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York enjoyed the respective titles and styles of "HRH The Princess of Wales," and "HRH The Duchess of York". However, when a woman marries a prince who does not hold a peerage, she is known as HRH Princess [Her husband's Christian name], followed by whatever territorial or titular designation. For

example, the former Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz enjoys the title and style of "HRH Princess Michael of Kent," and not "HRH Princess Marie-Christine of Kent." Similarly, the former Birgitte Eva van Deurs was titled "HRH Princess Richard of Gloucester" from her wedding until her husband succeeded to his father's dukedom in 1974. The widows of princes remain an HRH. However, under HM The Queen's 21 August 1996 letters patent, divorced wives and widows who subsequently remarry of a Prince of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland "shall not be entitled to hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness." There has been one exception to the convention that wives of princes take their husband's rank. In letters patent dated 28 May 1937, King George VI specifically denied the style HRH to the wife of HRH The Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII. Therefore, the former Wallis Simpson was known as "Her Grace The Duchess of Windsor," not "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Windsor." Another exception was made in the case of the last royal princess to marry into the British Royal Family: Princess Marina who, being a Princess of Greece and Denmark by birth, reverted to her own princely style ("HRH Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent") after being widowed, rather than take up the traditional style "HRH The Dowager Duchess of Kent". Her sister-in-law (born The Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott) was given special dispensation by HM The Queen to use a similar style when she was widowed ("HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester") despite not being a princess by birth, rather than the more usual widow's style, "HRH The Dowager Duchess of Gloucester". Following on a reluctance by the public to universally support the second wife of HRH The Prince of Wales, it was announced by Clarence House that, should the Prince become King, his wife HRH The Duchess of Cornwall will not be known as HM The Queen but will take the lesser title of HRH The Princess Consort. Out of respect for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, it was also announced that HRH would not be known as The Princess of Wales. The daughters and male-line granddaughters of the Sovereign do not lose their royal titles upon marriage. Men who marry the daughters and the male-line granddaughters of the Sovereign, however, do not acquire their wives' royal rank or the style HRH. Peerages

The British Royal Family in 1880. Female consorts of the British sovereign have not been created peers or peeresses. Male consorts, however, have sometimes been granted dukedoms. Prince George of Denmark, the husband of the future Queen Anne, was created Duke of Cumberland in 1683. Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was given the style Royal Highness before his marriage. In 1857, Queen Victoria granted him the title of Prince Consort, however he was not made a British peer. Prince Philip, husband of the present Queen, was created Duke of Edinburgh and granted the style Royal Highness the day before his wedding (which occurred prior to her accession). Generally, the sons of the Sovereign are awarded peerage dignities to mark either adulthood or marriage. Originally, younger sons of the Sovereign were not styled Princes (except the Prince of Wales); thus, to indicate their exalted rank, peerage dignities were conferred upon them. From the time of Edward III, nearly every son of a Sovereign surviving into adulthood became a Duke. Certain dukedoms were granted more often than others, including the dukedoms of York, Albany and Clarence. Normally, a peerage once awarded to a member of the Royal Family is not thereafter granted to any person outside the Royal Family (though some exceptions do exist). The Dukedom of York is generally created for the second son of the Sovereign. The first creation was in 1384; the dukedom merged in the Crown in 1461. Every Duke thereafter has either died without heirs or succeeded to the Crown, and so has not been able to leave the Royal Family. The pattern of awarding the dukedom to the second-eldest son of the Sovereign was upset by George I, who gave the Dukedom of York and Albany to his younger brother. The Dukedom of York and Albany was next granted by George II to the second son of his son, who had predeceased him. York and Albany featured one last time as a dukedom in 1784, when George III granted it to his second son. Thereafter, the dukedom has always borne the designation York, rather than York and Albany. The current duke is The Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II. The Dukedom of Albany served a function similar to the Dukedom of York in Scotland. The dukedom was created in 1398 for Robert Stewart, brother of King Robert III. It was at the time the only dukedom other than the Dukedom of Rothesay. It was created thrice more in Scotland: twice for the second son of a Sovereign, and once for a brother of a Sovereign. It was last created in 1881, for the fourth son of Queen Victoria; the dukedom was then suspended under the Titles Deprivation Act after its holder fought on the side of Germany during World War I. It is therefore considered neither available nor desirable for regrant. There are several other dukedoms that have been used for members of the Royal Family. Clarence was first used as a dukedom in 1362, most of the time being granted to the third son of the Sovereign. Among the dukedoms granted to still younger sons of the Sovereign are Cambridge, Connaught, Cumberland, Edinburgh, Gloucester, Kent and Sussex others in the Scottish peerage have included Ross and Kintyre. Some of those dukedoms were used for younger brothers, nephews and other

kinsmen of Sovereigns. The dukedom of Windsor was also a Royal dukedom, being granted to Edward VIII after he abdicated so that he could marry against the tenets of the Church of England. Often, sons of the Sovereign were granted titles associated with England and Scotland, later with Ireland, and most recently with Wales. Thus, the Dukedom of Strathearn (named after a place in Scotland) has been held with the Dukedoms of Connaught (named after an Irish province), Kent and Cumberland (both named after English places). This pattern continues in the present Royal Family. The current Duke of York, for example, is also Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh; the subsidiary titles are associated with Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively. The convention of granting dukedoms to senior members of the Royal Family was broken most recently in 1999, when The Prince Edward was created Earl of Wessex. The Earldom of Wessex had not been created earlier by an English or British Sovereign since 1066. It has been suggested that the Dukedom of Edinburgh will eventually be granted to The Earl of Wessex. The current dukedom will descend to The Prince of Wales, however, and not to the Earl of Wessex. Should The Prince of Wales become Sovereign, or should he already be Sovereign when the dukedom passes to him, the dukedom would merge in the Crown and then only become available for a regrant. The highest peerage dignity belonging to a Prince may be used as a part of the title of that Prince's children. Thus, the unmarried son of The Prince of Wales is Prince Harry of Wales; the daughters of the Duke of York are Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York; the children of the Earl of Wessex are Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn. (In the last case, Lady Louise and Lord Severn are always (and without exception) referred to as such, at the wishes of their parents and by order of The Queen, but are nonetheless thought by some experts to legally retain their princely titles (i.e. Princess Louise of Wessex and Prince James of Wessex)) Sovereigns, especially Charles II, have sometimes granted peerage dignities to illegitimate children. James Scott became Duke of Monmouth in 1663. Many more creations, mostly earldoms, followed in the 1670s: Charles FitzCharles became Earl of Plymouth, Charles FitzRoy Duke of Southampton, Henry FitzRoy Earl of Euston, George FitzRoy Earl of Northumberland, Charles Beauclerk Earl of Burford and Charles Lennox Duke of Richmond and Lennox. Many of the earls who were sons of Charles later became Dukes. Of the current Dukes, four are male-line descendants of Charles in the illegitimate line: the Duke of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon, the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, the Duke of Grafton and the Duke of St Alban's.