Duchess of Cornwall explained

Post:Duchess
Body:Cornwall
Incumbent:Catherine
Incumbentsince:8 September 2022
Member Of:British royal family
Style:Her Royal Highness
Insigniacaption:Arms of the Duchess of Cornwall
First:Joan of Kent
Insigniasize:130px

The Duchess of Cornwall is a title held by the wife of the apparent heir to the British throne. The Duchess of Cornwall is usually also the Princess of Wales, and she uses that title. The current title-holder is Catherine (née Middleton), whose husband, Prince William (later Prince of Wales), became the Duke of Cornwall on 8 September 2022, upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II.[1] Previously, Catherine's stepmother-in-law, Queen Camilla, was known by this title.

Duchesses of Cornwall

PersonName BirthMarriageBecame Duchess of CornwallSpouseChange in styleDeath
Joan of Kent19 September 1328 10 October 1361Edward of Woodstock7 June 1376
Husband's death;
became Dowager Duchess of Cornwall
7 August 1385
Anne Neville11 June 1456 13 December 1470 Edward of Westminster4 May 1471
Husband's death;
became Dowager Duchess of Cornwall;
later became Queen Consort as the wife of Richard III
16 March 1485
Catherine of Aragon16 December 1485 14 November 1501Arthur Tudor2 April 1502
Husband's death;
became Dowager Duchess of Cornwall;
later became Queen Consort as the wife of Henry VIII
7 January 1536
Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach1 March 1683 22 August 17051 August 1714George Augustus11 June 1727
Husband acceded to throne as George II;
became Queen Consort
20 November 1737
Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg30 November 171917 April 1736Frederick Louis31 March 1751
Husband's death;
became Dowager Duchess of Cornwall
8 February 1772
Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel17 May 1768 8 April 1795 George Augustus Frederick29 January 1820
Husband acceded to throne as George IV;
became Queen Consort
7 August 1821
Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia of Denmark1 December 1844 10 March 1863Albert Edward22 January 1901
Husband acceded to throne as Edward VII;
became Queen Consort
20 November 1925
Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes of Teck26 May 1867 6 July 189322 January 1901George Frederick Ernest Albert6 May 1910
Husband acceded to throne as George V;
became Queen Consort
24 March 1953
Diana Frances Spencer1 July 196129 July 1981Charles Philip Arthur George28 August 1996
Divorced;
assumed the style of Diana, Princess of Wales
[2]
31 August 1997
Camilla Rosemary Shand17 July 19479 April 20058 September 2022
Husband acceded to throne as Charles III;
became Queen Consort
living
Catherine Elizabeth Middleton9 January 198229 April 20118 September 2022William Arthur Philip LouisIncumbentliving

Until her husband's accession to the throne, Camilla, the second wife of the then-Prince of Wales, used the title "Duchess of Cornwall" rather than "Princess of Wales", as the latter was still popularly associated with Charles's first wife, Diana, who died in 1997.[3]

Literary references

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: House of Commons – Royal Marriage . parliament.uk . 23 March 2019.
  2. Web site: The press secretary to the Queen. DIVORCE: STATUS AND ROLE OF THE PRINCESS OF WALES. PR Newswire. Buckingham Palace. July 9, 2015.
  3. Web site: The Royal Title that Camilla and Princess Diana Shared. Harper's Bazaar. 13 November 2018. 2 January 2019. When she married Prince Charles, "Camilla was not popular or well liked, [though] this has changed a lot since the marriage as Camilla has taken on a lot of patronages and Charles is a lot happier," [Marlene] Koenig says. "Still, [there was] a lot of tension and anger among a certain element of the population—so it was decided that Camilla would be styled as the Duchess of Cornwall, even though, of course, she is the Princess of Wales.". 3 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190103004958/https://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/culture/princess-diana-camilla-title-17673. dead.