The Princess of Wales, born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, married Prince William, The Prince of Wales, at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. Their Royal Highnesses have three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The family's official residence is Kensington Palace. As well as undertaking royal duties in support of The King, both in the UK and overseas, Her Royal Highness devotes her time to supporting a number of charitable causes and organisations, several of which are centred around providing children with the best possible start in life.
Her
About The Princess of Wales
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About The Princess of Wales
Early Childhood Support
Through her work over the past decade, The Princess of Wales has seen first-hand how some of today’s hardest social challenges have their roots in the earliest years of a person’s life. The Princess is committed to raising awareness of the importance of early childhood experiences and of collaborative action in order to improve outcomes across society.
The Princess of Wales with children
In March 2018, Her Royal Highness convened a steering group to look at what could be done to bring about long-lasting change to the lives of children, by focusing on their earliest stage of life from pre-birth to 5 years of age. The steering group's recommendations, on behalf of The Princess, have formed the basis of The Royal Foundation's strategy for developing her work in this area in years to come.
In January 2020, The Princess launched ‘5 Big Questions on the Under Fives’ – a landmark survey which aimed to start a nationwide conversation on early childhood. The findings of the survey were unveiled later that year, alongside in-depth qualitative and ethnographic research conducted by Ipsos MORI.
The Princess of Wales with a mother and child
In June 2021, Her Royal Highness highlighted her dedication to the cause by launching The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which will drive awareness of and action on the extraordinary impact of the early years, in order to transform society for generations to come.
The Princess of Wales convenes the Centre for Early Childhood
In February 2022, Her Royal Highness visited Denmark to learn about the Danish approach to early childhood development and to explore how The Centre for Early Childhood can take learnings from this world-leading work.
“I have seen that experiences such as homelessness, addiction, and poor mental health are often grounded in a difficult childhood. But I have also seen, how positive protective factors in the early years can play a critical role in shaping our futures too.”
- The Princess of Wales
Most recently Her Royal Highness and The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood launched the 'Shaping Us' Campaign in 2023 - to increase public understanding of the crucial importance of the first five years of a child’s life.
Children's Mental Health
As part of Her Royal Highness's work around early childhood, The Princess of Wales is a committed champion of issues related to children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. Her Royal Highness has worked to bring wider public attention to the fact that issues facing children today such as addiction, poverty, abuse, neglect, loss and illness of family members, can have a long-lasting and traumatic impact if left unsupported. Moreover, academic research has shown conclusively that early childhood trauma will affect mental health long into adulthood, with significant costs to individuals, their families, society and the economy.
The Princess of Wales visits PACT (Parents and Children Together) in Southwark
In particular, Her Royal Highness has highlighted the need for open and honest conversations about the subject of mental health to try and combat stigma, and also the importance of early intervention mental health support for young people, to tackle these issues at the earliest possible stage so that children have the brightest possible futures.
In October 2023 The Prince and Princess of Wales, together with The Royal Foundation, hosted a forum for young people called Exploring our Emotional Worlds. The event brought together 100 young delegates nominated by ten leading mental health and youth engagement charities to start a conversation about how they manage their emotions and how they can be supported to build their resilience and protective factors such as healthy relationships which make it easier to navigate bumps in the road as they go through life.
The Princess of Wales sits down with young delegates in Birmingham at The Royal Foundation's Youth Mental Health Forum
Heads Together
In 2017, The Princess of Wales championed the Heads Together mental health campaign with The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Sussex. Together, they lead a coalition of eight mental health charity partners to change the national conversation on mental health: Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families; Best Beginnings; CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably; Contact (a military mental health coalition); Mind; Place2Be; The Mix; and YoungMinds. The campaign aimed to build on existing progress nationwide in tackling stigma, raising awareness, and providing vital help for people with mental health problems.
The Princess of Wales during a Heads Together event
Heads Together was privileged to be the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon Charity of the Year giving the campaign a positive platform to raise funds for the charity partners and to start millions of conversations about mental wellbeing.
Since then The Prince and Princess of Wales have continued to spearhead and support a range of mental health programmes through The Royal Foundation, including the Mentally Healthy Schools and Mental Health at Work initiatives, and Shout 85258, a free crisis text line providing 24/7 support for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis.
The Princess of Wales during a visit to Shout
Sport and the Outdoors
The Princess of Wales strongly believes that spending time outdoors plays a pivotal role in children’s future health and happiness, building foundations that last through childhood and over a lifetime.
The Princess of Wales plays sport with children
The Princess is also keen sportswoman and strongly believes that physical health not only complements mental health, but also has the power to engage, educate and inspire and change lives for the better. Her Royal Highness's passion for sport, nature and the outdoors stems from her own experience and enjoyment of playing tennis and hockey and sailing from a young age.
The Princess of Wales sails around Auckland Harbour
In 2019, The Princess designed and built a series of Back to Nature gardens which were displayed at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. The gardens aimed to highlight how spending time outdoors can enrich a child’s early development by encouraging active exploration and providing the opportunity to form and strengthen positive relationships. The project culminated in the creation of a permanent Back to Nature play garden at RHS Wisley, which Her Royal Highness officially opened in September 2019.
Her Royal Highness has continued this work by showing her support for those organisations working to ensure young people have access to get outdoors to enjoy the natural world and take part in physical activity. She is Royal Patron of several sport-related institutions: SportsAid, The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, The Lawn Tennis Association, Rugby Football League, Rugby Football Union and The 1851 Trust.
The Princess of Wales at Wimbledon
Visual Arts
The Princess of Wales has a longstanding interest in the visual arts, photography, design and textiles, having studied History of Art at St. Andrews University. Her Royal Highness is Patron of several arts organisations, including the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A and the Royal Photographic Society.
The King and Queen are joined by The Princess of Wales at Trinity Buoy Wharf
A passionate photographer, The Princess has shared many of her photos with the public over the years. In January 2020 she took part in a special photography project to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust, contributing two powerful photographic portraits of Holocaust survivors and their families.
The Princess of Wales and photography
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in May 2020 Her Royal Highness created Hold Still, a photography project launched in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery, which invited members of the public to share photographic portraits they had taken during lockdown, providing a unique record of the nation’s shared and individual experiences as the pandemic took hold.
From over 31,000 entries a final selection of 100 portraits were chosen to form a digital exhibition, which was later brought to the streets of the UK as part of a community exhibition. The project culminated in the publication of the Hold Still book, proceeds of which were shared between leading mental health charity Mind and the National Portrait Gallery to support arts and mental health projects across the UK.
Royal Patronages
The Princess of Wales is Patron of a number of organisations which have close association with her specific charitable interests, and where she feels her support can make a difference. These broadly reflect her desire to help the most vulnerable children, young people and their families, as well as to promote opportunities though sport and the outdoors, and showcasing national institutions which reflect her love of the visual arts.
As their Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness will support their key projects and initiatives, spotlight their work through her programme of official engagements and where appropriate by convening organisations to work in support of each other.
The Royal Foundation
The Princess of Wales, like her husband, also directs her own philanthropic work through The Royal Foundation.
The Princess of Wales at a meeting with the Royal Foundation
The Foundation develops programmes and charitable projects based on the interests of Their Royal Highnesses by working with organisations which are already making a proven impact in their respective fields. The Royal Foundation mobilises leaders, businesses and people so that together we can address society’s greatest challenges. The organisation’s work is built on world-class research, long-term partnerships, and measurable, scalable impact.
Christmas Carol Service
Since 2021 The Princess of Wales has spearheaded the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey. The annual service is a way to bring people together at Christmas time and recognise those who have gone above and beyond to help others throughout the year.
The Prince of Wales is the heir to the throne and the eldest son of His Majesty The King and Diana, Princess of Wales. His Royal Highness is married to The Princess of Wales, Catherine, with whom he has three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The family's official residence is Kensington Palace. His Royal Highness undertakes a number of charitable activities and projects and carries out public and official duties in support of The King, in the UK and overseas.
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
About The Prince of Wales
Biography
Supporting the Monarch
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About The Prince of Wales
The Environment
Protecting the natural environment for future generations is one of The Prince of Wales’s key priorities. His Royal Highness is Patron of a number of charities which are focused on conservation and through The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, he has spearheaded global initiatives to protect our natural world.
Most recently, in 2020, His Royal Highness launched The Earthshot Prize – a global environmental prize and platform to discover, award, celebrate and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet every year until 2030. The Prize comprises five Earthshot challenges which will have the greatest impact on the biggest environmental challenges facing our planet. The first awards ceremony took place in London in October 2021, with subsequent ceremonies in Boston (2022) and Singapore (2023).
When he was The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William founded United for Wildlife with The Royal Foundation in 2014 to promote collaborative work across the transport and finance sectors to make it impossible for traffickers to transport, finance or profit from illegal wildlife products.
Prince William at a United for Wildlife event
Homelessness
The Prince of Wales is a passionate advocate for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness. In June 2023, The Prince and The Royal Foundation launched Homewards, a five-year, locally led programme that will aim to demonstrate that together it’s possible to end homelessness – making it rare, brief and unrepeated. The programme will take a transformative approach to the issue of homelessness and put collaboration at its heart, giving its six flagship locations new space, tools, and relationships to showcase what can be achieved through a collective effort focused on preventing and ending homelessness in their areas.
His Royal Highness has championed homelessness causes for a number of years. His first patronage was Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, and he has used his platform to highlight individual’s stories and encourage collaboration to tackle this solvable issue. He is also Patron of The Passage, which works to prevent homelessness and aims to transform the lives of those who have experienced homelessness.
The Prince of Wales visits Centrepoint
In June 2022, His Royal Highness partnered with The Big Issue to sell magazines alongside one of their vendors in order to shine a spotlight on the magazine and bring homelessness up the public agenda.
The Prince of Wales launches Homewards
Mental Health
In October 2023 The Prince and Princess of Wales together with The Royal Foundation and in partnership with The Mix and with the support of BBC Radio 1, hosted a forum for young people called Exploring our Emotional Worlds. The event brought together 100 young delegates nominated by ten leading mental health and youth engagement charities to start a conversation about how they manage their emotions and how they can be supported to build their resilience and protective factors such as healthy relationships which make it easier to navigate bumps in the road as they go through life.
The Prince of Wales speaks to young delegates in Birmingham as part of the youth Mental Health forum
In 2017, The Prince of Wales spearheaded the Heads Together mental health campaign with The Princess of Wales and The Duke of Sussex, leading a coalition of eight mental health charity partners to change the national conversation on mental health. The campaign aimed to build on existing progress nationwide in tackling stigma, raising awareness, and providing vital help for people with mental health problems.
The Prince of Wales at a discussion on Heads Together
The coalition of charities covered a wide range of mental health issues and worked in areas that were in line with Their Royal Highnesses' interests. They were: the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families; Best Beginnings; CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably; Contact (a military mental health coalition); Mind; Place2Be; The Mix; and Young Minds.
Since inception, Heads Together has carried out a number of initiatives to further promote good mental health. In 2019, Heads Together partnered with the FA to create a campaign spearheaded by The Prince of Wales - the #HeadsUp campaign. It used football to change the conversation on mental health, helping to encourage more men to feel comfortable talking about their mental health and feel able to support their friends and families through difficult times.
The Prince of Wales at a Heads Up event
In 2021, The Prince of Wales unveiled the Blue Light Together initiative – a landmark package of mental health support for emergency workers, recognising the unique stresses they face as part of their daily work. As part of the initiative, which was developed by The Royal Foundation in partnership with service leaders and charities, emergency service organisations in the UK committed to prioritising and promoting mental wellbeing as well as providing more tools and support.
The Armed Forces
Having completed seven-and-a-half years of full-time military service, promoting the important role and the welfare of those who are serving or who have served their country in the Armed Forces is a key focus for His Royal Highness's charitable activities.
Prince William served in the military for over 7 years
Through his programme of official engagements, The Prince of Wales has shone a light on the ongoing challenges facing service personnel making the transition to civilian life.
The Prince and Princess of Wales meet members of 31 SQN and other operational personnel in a hangar at RAF Akrotiri
Royal Patronages
The Prince of Wales is Patron of a number of organisations which have close association with his specific charitable interests, and where he feels his support can make a difference. These broadly reflect his commitment to promoting better protection of the natural world, alongside his support for those in society who are facing the most difficult of times, including as a result of homelessness.
As their Royal Patron, His Royal Highness will support their key projects and initiatives, spotlight their work through his programme of official engagements and where appropriate convene organisations to work in support of each other.
The Royal Foundation
The Prince of Wales, together with his wife, The Princess of Wales, also directs his charitable activities through The Royal Foundation. The Foundation develops programmes and charitable projects based on the interests of Their Royal Highnesses by working with organisations which are already making a proven impact in their respective fields.
The Royal Foundation mobilises leaders, businesses and people so that together we can address society’s greatest challenges. The organisation’s work is built on world-class research, long-term partnerships, and measurable, scalable impact.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the family of Charles III. For the British monarchy itself, see Monarchy of the United Kingdom.
The royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the annual Trooping the Colour in 2023. From left to right: Timothy Laurence; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince George; Prince Louis, situated in front of Catherine, Princess of Wales; Princess Charlotte, situated in front of William, Prince of Wales; King Charles III; Queen Camilla; Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh; Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh; Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester; Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
The British royal family comprises King Charles III and his close relations. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is a part of the royal family.[1][2] Members often support the monarch in undertaking public engagements, and pursue charitable work and interests. The royal family are regarded as British and world cultural icons.
Members
Further information: List of members of the House of Windsor
Further information: Family tree of the British royal family
The Lord Chamberlain's "List of the Royal Family" published in 2020 mentions all of King George VI's descendants and their spouses (including Sarah, Duchess of York, who is divorced), along with Queen Elizabeth II's cousins with royal rank and their spouses.[2] The Lord Chamberlain's list applies for the purposes of regulating the use of royal symbols and images of the family.[3] Meanwhile, the website of the royal family provides a list of "Members of the Royal Family"; those listed correspond to the royal family members mentioned and pictured below, with the exception of Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, the Duchess of Kent, and Prince Michael of Kent and his wife.[1]
The core of the royal family is made up of King Charles III and Queen Camilla; William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. They carry out royal duties full-time.[4]
Lower profile relatives who perform some duties are Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester; Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; and Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy.[4]
Other members of the royal family with royal rank who do not carry out official duties are Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis of Wales; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Princess Beatrice; Princess Eugenie; Katharine, Duchess of Kent; and Prince Michael and Princess Michael of Kent.[4]
The King and Queen
The King and Queen
The Prince and Princess of Wales
The Prince and Princess of Wales
The Princess Royal
The Princess Royal
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
The Duke of Kent
The Duke of Kent
Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy
The Wales children
The Wales children
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
The Duke of York
The Duke of York
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie
The Duchess of Kent
The Duchess of Kent
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
Current British royal family tree
King George V
† Queen Mary
†
King George VI
† Queen Elizabeth
† Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
† Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
† Prince George, Duke of Kent
† Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
†
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
† Queen Elizabeth II
† Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon
† Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
† The Duke of Gloucester
(31) The Duchess of Gloucester The Duke of Kent
(41) The Duchess of Kent Sir Angus Ogilvy
† Princess Alexandra
(57) Prince Michael of Kent
(52) Princess Michael of Kent
Diana, Princess of Wales
† The King The Queen Mark Phillips The Princess Royal
(17) Sir Timothy Laurence The Duke of York
(8) Sarah, Duchess of York The Duke of Edinburgh
(14) The Duchess of Edinburgh The Earl of Snowdon
(25) The Countess of Snowdon Daniel Chatto Lady Sarah Chatto
(28)
The Prince of Wales
(1) The Princess of Wales The Duke of Sussex
(5) The Duchess of Sussex Peter Phillips
(18) Autumn Phillips Zara Tindall
(21) Michael Tindall Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi Princess Beatrice
(9) Jack Brooksbank Princess Eugenie
(11) Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
(16) Earl of Wessex
(15) Viscount Linley
(26) Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones
(27) Samuel Chatto
(29) Arthur Chatto
(30)
Prince George of Wales
(2) Princess Charlotte of Wales
(3) Prince Louis of Wales
(4) Prince Archie of Sussex
(6) Princess Lilibet of Sussex
(7) Savannah Phillips
(19) Isla Phillips
(20) Mia Tindall
(22) Lena Tindall
(23) Lucas Tindall
(24) Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
(10) August Brooksbank
(12) Ernest Brooksbank
(13)
Notes
Numbers in brackets indicate places in the line of succession.[5][6][7]
Boxes indicate living individuals with royal titles and styles.
Purple indicates living individuals listed or described as members of the royal family on the official website.[8]
Boldface indicates living individuals listed as members of the royal family in Lord Chamberlain's Diamond Jubilee Guidelines in 2012,[9]
Italics indicate individuals born or married into the family after the Diamond Jubilee.
Dashed lines indicate married couples, dotted lines divorced couples.[6]
Dagger (†) indicates deceased individuals.
Titles and surnames
Marriage certificate of Elizabeth Windsor and Philip Mountbatten, signed by members of the royal family
The monarch's children and grandchildren (if they are children of the monarch's sons), and the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales are automatically entitled to be known as prince or princess with the style His or Her Royal Highness (HRH).[10] Peerages, often dukedoms, are bestowed upon most princes prior to marriage.[11][12] Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, children of the King's sister, Princess Anne, are therefore not prince and princess. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex, though entitled to the dignity, are not called prince and princess as their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, wanted them to have more modest titles.[10] The King reportedly wants to reduce the number of titled members of the royal family.[13]
By tradition, wives of male members of the royal family share their husbands' title and style.[14] Princesses by marriage do not have the title prefixed to their own name[10] but to their husband's; for example, the wife of Prince Michael of Kent is Princess Michael of Kent.[14] Sons of monarchs are customarily given dukedoms upon marriage, and these peerage titles pass to their eldest sons.[14]
Male-line descendants of King George V, including women until they marry, bear the surname Windsor. The surname of the male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II, except for women who marry, is Mountbatten-Windsor, reflecting the name taken by her Greek-born husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, upon his naturalisation. A surname is generally not needed by members of the royal family who are entitled to the titles of prince or princess and the style His or Her Royal Highness. Such individuals use surnames on official documents such as marriage registers.[15]
Public role
The Princess Royal meeting members of the public during a walkabout in Paisley, Renfrewshire
Members of the royal family support the monarch in "state and national duties", while also carrying out charity work of their own.[16][17] If the sovereign is indisposed, two counsellors of state are required to fulfil his/her role, with those eligible being restricted to the sovereign's spouse, and the first four people in the line of succession over the age of 21. In 2022, the Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal were added to the list by special legislation.[18]
Each year the family "carries out over 2,000 official engagements throughout the UK and worldwide", entertaining 70,000 guests and answering 100,000 letters.[16][19] Engagements include state funerals, national festivities, garden parties, receptions, and visits to the Armed Forces.[16] Many members have served in the Armed Forces themselves, including the King's brothers and sons.[20][19] Engagements are recorded in the Court Circular, a list of daily appointments and events attended by the royal family.[21] Public appearances are often accompanied by walkabouts, where royals greet and converse with members of the public outside events.[22] The start of this tradition is sometimes attributed to a trip Queen Elizabeth II made in 1970 to Australia and New Zealand.[23] Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother also interacted with crowds on a trip to Canada in 1939 and in 1940 during The Blitz in London.[24][25]
Annual events attended by the royal family include the State Opening of Parliament, Trooping the Colour, and the National Service of Remembrance.[17] According to historian Robert Lacey, Queen Elizabeth II once said that investitures of the honours recipients are the most important thing she does.[26] Besides the King, Prince William and Princess Anne also perform investitures.[27][17] Family members represent the monarch on official visits and tours to other countries as ambassadors to foster diplomatic relations.[20][19][28] They have also attended Commonwealth meetings on the monarch's behalf.[17] The royal family also participates in state visits on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which includes the welcoming of dignitaries and a formal banquet.[29] Journalist James Forsyth has referred to the family as "soft power assets".[30]
Prince William with the then-Dean of Westminster. Members of the royal family are members of the Church of England.
Given the royal family's public role and activities, it is sometimes referred to by courtiers as "The Firm", a term that originated with George VI.[31][32] Members of the royal family are politically and commercially independent, avoiding conflict of interest with their public roles.[33] The royal family are considered British cultural icons, with young adults from abroad naming the family among a group of people who they most associated with British culture.[34] Members are expected to promote British industry.[35] Royals are typically members of the Church of England, headed by the monarch. When in Scotland they attend the Church of Scotland as members and some have served as Lord High Commissioner to the Church of Scotland.[36][37]
Members of the royal family are patrons for approximately 3,000 charities,[19] and have also started their own nonprofit organisations.[20] The King started The Prince's Trust, which helps young people in the UK that are disadvantaged.[38] Princess Anne started The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, which helps unpaid carers, giving them emotional support and information about benefit claims and disability aids.[39] The Earl and Countess of Wessex (as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were then known) founded the Wessex Youth Trust, since renamed The Earl and Countess of Wessex Charitable Trust, in 1999.[40] The Prince and Princess of Wales are founding patrons of The Royal Foundation, whose projects revolve around mental health, conservation, early childhood, and emergency responders.[41]
In 2019, following the negative reactions to the "Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal" interview, the Duke of York was forced to resign from public roles; the retirement became permanent in 2020.[42] The Duke and Duchess of Sussex permanently withdrew from royal duties in early 2020.[43] Following these departures, there is a shortage of royal family members to cover the increasing number of patronages and engagements.[4]
Media and criticism
See also: Royal Rota and Never complain, never explain
Royal biographer Penny Junor says that the royal family has presented itself "as the model family" since the 1930s.[4] Author Edward Owen wrote that during the Second World War, the monarchy sought an image of a "more informal and vulnerable family" that had a unifying effect on the nation during instability.[44] In 1992, the Princess Royal and her husband Mark Phillips divorced; the Prince and Princess of Wales separated; a biography detailing the Princess's bulimia and self-harming was published; her private telephone conversations surfaced, as did the Prince's intimate telephone conversations with his lover, Camilla Parker Bowles; the Duke and Duchess of York separated; and photographs of the topless Duchess having her toes sucked by another man appeared in tabloids. Historian Robert Lacey said that this "put paid to any claim to being a model of family life". The scandals contributed to the public's unwillingness to pay for the repairs to Windsor Castle after the 1992 fire. A further "PR disaster" was the royal family's initial response to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.[26]
In the 1990s, the royal family formed the Way Ahead Group, made up of senior family members and advisers and headed by Elizabeth II, in a quest to change in accordance with public opinion.[26][45] The 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton led to a "tide of goodwill", and by Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 the royal family's image had recovered.[26] A 2019 YouGov poll showed that two-thirds of British people were in favour of maintaining the royal family.[46] The role and public relations of the extended royal family again came under increased scrutiny due to the Duke of York's friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse, along with his unapologetic conduct in the 2019 interview about these subjects and subsequent 2021 lawsuit.[47][48][49] In June 2019, the royal family, several members of which advocate for environmental causes, faced criticism after it was revealed that they "had doubled [their] carbon footprint from business travel".[50]
In a 2021 interview, the Duchess of Sussex, who is of biracial heritage, relayed second-hand that there had been "concerns and conversations" within the royal family about the skin colour of their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, while the Duke of Sussex stated it was a single instance.[51] The interview received a mixed reaction from the British public and media, and several of their claims were called into question.[52][53] The Duke of Cambridge said the royal family were "very much not a racist family". In June 2021, documents revealed that "coloured immigrants or foreigners" were banned by Elizabeth II's chief financial manager at the time from working for the family as clerks in the 1960s, prompting black studies professor Kehinde Andrews to state that "the royal family has a terrible record on race".[51] In response, the palace stated that it complied "in principle and in practice" with anti-discrimination legislation, and that second-hand claims of "conversations from over 50 years ago should not be used to draw or infer conclusions about modern-day events or operations."[54] In March 2022 and during the Caribbean tour of the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the family encountered criticism from a number of political figures and the press, given their past connections to colonialism and the Atlantic slave trade via the Royal African Company.[55][56] Reparations for slavery emerged as a major demand of protesters during the couple's visit.[57] Both the then Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge have condemned slavery in their speeches,[58][59] and the Prince has described acknowledging the wrongs of the past as a necessity for the Commonwealth countries to realise their potential.[60]
Historically, the royal family and the media have benefited from each other; the family used the press to communicate with the public, while the media used the family to attract readers and viewers.[61] With the advent of television, however, the media started paying less respect to the royal family's privacy.[26] Princes William and Harry have had informal arrangements with the press whereby they would be left alone by the paparazzi during their education in return for invitations to staged photograph opportunities. William has continued the practice with his family posts on Instagram. Relations between the media and British royals have been destabilized by the rise of the digital media, with the quantity of articles becoming paramount toward gaining advertising revenue, with neither side able to exercise control.[61] In the 2000s, the phones of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and Prince Harry and his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, were hacked multiple times by media outlets, most notably by a private investigator working for a News of the World journalist.[62][63] A 2021 BBC documentary suggested that briefings and counter-briefings from different royal households was the reason behind the negative coverage about members of the royal family. Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace, which represented the Queen, the then Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge respectively, described these suggestions as "overblown and unfounded claims".[64]
Funding
Main article: Finances of the British royal family
The then-Duchess of Cambridge, escorted by security officers, meets with Sir Michael Dixon
Senior members of the royal family, who represent the monarch, draw their income from public funds known as the sovereign grant.[65] The sovereign grant is an annual payment of the British government to the monarch. It comes from the revenues of the Crown Estate, which are commercial properties owned by the Crown. It is common belief amongst the British public that funding for the royal family comes from taxpayers' money, but this is not the case. The revenue of the crown estate actually far exceeds the amount provided in the sovereign grant.[66][67] Members of the royal family who receive money from the sovereign grant must be accountable to the public for it and are not allowed to make money from their name.[65] The monarch also receives the income of the Duchy of Lancaster, and the Prince of Wales from the Duchy of Cornwall.
The security of the royal family is not paid from the sovereign grant but is usually met instead by the Metropolitan Police.[68] The royal family, the Home Office, and the Metropolitan Police decide which members have a right to taxpayer-funded police security. Extended members do not retain automatic right to protection; in 2011, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie ceased receiving police security.[13][69]
Residences
Main article: List of British royal residences
A 2011 state banquet at Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the monarch
The sovereign's official residence in London is Buckingham Palace.[67] Announcements of the births and deaths of members of the royal family are traditionally attached to its front railings.[70] Both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, the monarch's weekend home in Berkshire, are used to host state visits.[71][72] The Palace of Holyroodhouse and Hillsborough Castle serve as official royal residences when the monarch is in Scotland or Northern Ireland, respectively.[73][74]
Clarence House served as the official residence of Charles III when he was Prince of Wales from 2003 until he inherited the throne on 8 September 2022.[67] Another London residence of his when Prince of Wales was St James's Palace, which he shared with the Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra.[75] Princess Alexandra also resides at Thatched House Lodge in Richmond.[76] The King also privately owns Sandringham House in Norfolk and Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, which are his personal property. He inherited them from Elizabeth II upon her death.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have their official residences and offices at apartments in Kensington Palace, London.[77][78] The Duke and Duchess of Kent reside in Wren House in the grounds of Kensington Palace.[79] The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's official residence in the United Kingdom is Frogmore Cottage, near Windsor. [80][81] The Duke of York lives at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, while the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh reside at Bagshot Park in Surrey.[82][83]
See also
Education of the British royal family
List of honours of the British royal family by country
List of longest-living members of the British royal family
Military service by British royalty
Republicanism in the United Kingdom
Royal descent
Monarchy of Antigua and Barbuda
Monarchy of Australia
Monarchy of the Bahamas
Monarchy of Belize
Monarchy of Canada
Monarchy of Grenada
Monarchy of Jamaica
Monarchy of New Zealand
Monarchy of Papua New Guinea
Monarchy of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Monarchy of Saint Lucia
Monarchy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Monarchy of Solomon Islands
Monarchy of Tuvalu
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
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Further reading
Burke's Guide to the Royal Family. Burke's Peerage, 1973.
Cannon, John Ashton. The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford University Press, 1988.
Churchill, Randolph S. They Serve the Queen: A New and Authoritative Account of the Royal Household ("Prepared for Coronation Year"). Hutchinson, 1953.
Fraser, Antonia (ed). The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England. Revised & updated edition. University of California Press, 1998.
Hayden, Ilse. Symbol and Privilege: The Ritual Context of British Royalty. University of Arizona Press, 1987.
Longford, Elizabeth Harman (Countess of Longford). The Royal House of Windsor. Revised edition. Crown, 1984.
Weir, Alison. Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. Pimlico/Random House, 2002.
Royal Family (1969) is a celebrated and reverential BBC documentary made by Richard Cawston to accompany the investiture of the current Prince of Wales. The documentary is frequently held responsible for the greater press intrusion into the royal family's private life since its first broadcast.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Royal Family.
Official website
"House of Windsor Family Tree" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2010. (74.2 KB)
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English, Scottish and British monarchs
Monarchs of England until 1603 Monarchs of Scotland until 1603
Alfred the GreatEdward the ElderÆlfweardÆthelstanEdmund IEadredEadwigEdgar the PeacefulEdward the MartyrÆthelred the UnreadySweynEdmund IronsideCnutHarold HarefootHarthacnutEdward the ConfessorHarold GodwinsonEdgar ÆthelingWilliam IWilliam IIHenry IStephenMatildaHenry IIHenry the Young KingRichard IJohnLouisHenry IIIEdward IEdward IIEdward IIIRichard IIHenry IVHenry VHenry VIEdward IVEdward VRichard IIIHenry VIIHenry VIIIEdward VIJaneMary I and PhilipElizabeth I
Kenneth I MacAlpinDonald IConstantine IÁedGiricEochaidDonald IIConstantine IIMalcolm IIndulfDubCuilénAmlaíbKenneth IIConstantine IIIKenneth IIIMalcolm IIDuncan IMacbethLulachMalcolm IIIDonald IIIDuncan IIEdgarAlexander IDavid IMalcolm IVWilliam IAlexander IIAlexander IIIMargaretJohnRobert IDavid IIEdward BalliolRobert IIRobert IIIJames IJames IIJames IIIJames IVJames VMary IJames VI
Monarchs of England and Scotland after the Union of the Crowns from 1603
James I & VICharles IThe Protectorate Oliver CromwellRichard CromwellCharles IIJames II & VIIWilliam III & II and Mary IIAnne
British monarchs after the Acts of Union 1707
AnneGeorge IGeorge IIGeorge IIIGeorge IVWilliam IVVictoriaEdward VIIGeorge VEdward VIIIGeorge VIElizabeth IICharles III
Debated or disputed rulers are in italics.
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English, Scottish and British royal consorts
Royal consorts in England until 1603 Royal consorts in Scotland until 1603
Ælfgifu of ShaftesburyÆthelflæd of DamerhamÆlfgifuÆlfthrythÆlfgifu of YorkSigrid the Haughty/ŚwiętosławaEaldgythEmma of NormandyEdith of WessexEdith of MerciaMatilda of FlandersMatilda of ScotlandAdeliza of LouvainMatilda of BoulogneGeoffrey PlantagenetEleanor of AquitaineMargaret of FranceBerengaria of NavarreIsabella of AngoulêmeBlanche of CastileEleanor of ProvenceEleanor of CastileMargaret of FranceIsabella of FrancePhilippa of HainaultAnne of BohemiaIsabella of ValoisJoan of NavarreCatherine of ValoisMargaret of AnjouElizabeth WoodvilleAnne NevilleElizabeth of YorkCatherine of AragonAnne BoleynJane SeymourAnne of ClevesCatherine HowardCatherine ParrGuildford Dudley
GruochIngibiorg FinnsdottirMargaret of WessexEthelreda of NorthumbriaSybilla of NormandyMaud of NorthumbriaErmengarde de BeaumontJoan of EnglandMarie de CoucyMargaret of EnglandYolande de DreuxElizabeth de BurghJoan of the TowerMargaret DrummondEuphemia de RossAnabella DrummondJoan BeaufortMary of GueldersMargaret of DenmarkMargaret TudorMadeleine of ValoisMary of GuiseFrancis II of FranceHenry StuartJames HepburnAnne of Denmark
Royal consorts in England and Scotland after the Union of the Crowns from 1603
Anne of DenmarkHenrietta Maria of FranceCatherine of BraganzaMary of ModenaGeorge of Denmark and Norway
British royal consorts after the Acts of Union 1707
George of Denmark and NorwayCaroline of Brandenburg-AnsbachCharlotte of Mecklenburg-StrelitzCaroline of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelAdelaide of Saxe-MeiningenAlbert of Saxe-Coburg and GothaAlexandra of DenmarkMary of TeckElizabeth Bowes-LyonPhilip of Greece and DenmarkCamilla Shand
Spouses of debatable or disputed rulers are in italics
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British princes
The generations indicate descent from George I, who formalised the use of the titles prince and princess for members of the British royal family.
1st generation
King George II
2nd generation
Frederick, Prince of WalesPrince George WilliamPrince William, Duke of Cumberland
3rd generation
King George IIIPrince Edward, Duke of York and AlbanyPrince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and EdinburghPrince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and StrathearnPrince Frederick
4th generation
King George IVPrince Frederick, Duke of York and AlbanyKing William IVPrince Edward, Duke of Kent and StrathearnKing Ernest Augustus of HanoverPrince Augustus Frederick, Duke of SussexPrince Adolphus, Duke of CambridgePrince OctaviusPrince AlfredPrince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
5th generation
Prince Albert1King George V of HanoverPrince George, Duke of Cambridge
6th generation
King Edward VIIPrince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and of Saxe-Coburg and GothaPrince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and StrathearnPrince Leopold, Duke of AlbanyPrince Ernest Augustus
7th generation
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and AvondaleKing George VPrince Alexander John of WalesAlfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and GothaPrince Arthur of ConnaughtPrince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany and of Saxe-Coburg and GothaPrince George William of HanoverPrince Christian of HanoverPrince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick
8th generation
King Edward VIIIKing George VIPrince Henry, Duke of GloucesterPrince George, Duke of KentPrince JohnAlastair, 2nd Duke of Connaught and StrathearnJohann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and GothaPrince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and GothaPrince Ernest Augustus of HanoverPrince George William of Hanover
9th generation
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh2Prince William of GloucesterPrince Richard, Duke of GloucesterPrince Edward, Duke of KentPrince Michael of Kent
10th generation
King Charles IIIPrince Andrew, Duke of YorkPrince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
11th generation
William, Prince of WalesPrince Harry, Duke of SussexJames Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex
12th generation
Prince George of WalesPrince Louis of WalesPrince Archie of Sussex
1 Not a British prince by birth, but created Prince Consort. 2 Not a British prince by birth, but created a Prince of the United Kingdom.
Princes whose titles were removed and eligible people who do not use the title are shown in italics.
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British princesses
The generations indicate descent from George I, who formalised the use of the titles prince and princess for members of the British royal family. Where a princess may have been or is descended from George I more than once, her most senior descent, by which she bore or bears her title, is used.
1st generation
Sophia Dorothea, Queen in Prussia
2nd generation
Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of OrangePrincess AmeliaPrincess CarolineMary, Landgravine of Hesse-KasselLouise, Queen of Denmark and Norway
3rd generation
Augusta, Duchess of BrunswickPrincess ElizabethPrincess LouisaCaroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway
4th generation
Charlotte, Princess Royal and Queen of WürttembergPrincess Augusta SophiaElizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-HomburgPrincess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and EdinburghPrincess SophiaPrincess AmeliaPrincess Sophia of GloucesterPrincess Caroline of Gloucester
5th generation
Charlotte, Princess Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-SaalfeldPrincess Elizabeth of ClarenceQueen VictoriaAugusta, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-StrelitzPrincess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck
6th generation
Victoria, Princess Royal and German EmpressAlice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by RhineHelena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-HolsteinPrincess Louise, Duchess of ArgyllBeatrice, Princess Henry of BattenbergPrincess Frederica, Baroness von Pawel-RammingenPrincess Marie of Hanover
7th generation
Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of FifePrincess VictoriaMaud, Queen of NorwayMarie, Queen of RomaniaGrand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of RussiaPrincess Alexandra, Princess of Hohenlohe-LangenburgPrincess Beatrice, Duchess of GallieraMargaret, Crown Princess of SwedenLady Patricia RamsayPrincess Alice, Countess of AthloneMarie Louise, Princess Maximilian of BadenAlexandra, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-SchwerinPrincess Olga of Hanover
8th generation
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of HarewoodAlexandra, Princess Arthur of Connaught and Duchess of FifeMaud Carnegie, Countess of SoutheskPrincess Sibylla, Duchess of VästerbottenPrincess Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg and GothaFrederica, Queen of Greece
9th generation
Queen Elizabeth IIPrincess Margaret, Countess of SnowdonPrincess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
10th generation
Anne, Princess Royal
11th generation
Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli MozziPrincess Eugenie, Mrs Jack BrooksbankLady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
12th generation
Princess Charlotte of WalesPrincess Lilibet of Sussex
Princesses whose titles were removed and eligible people who do not use the title are shown in italics.
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British princesses by marriage
The generations include wives of princes descended from George I, who formalised the use of the titles prince and princess for members of the British royal family.
1st generation
Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach
2nd generation
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
3rd generation
Maria WalpoleAnne Luttrell
4th generation
Duchess Caroline of BrunswickPrincess Frederica Charlotte of PrussiaPrincess Adelaide of Saxe-MeiningenPrincess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-SaalfeldDuchess Frederica of Mecklenburg-StrelitzPrincess Augusta of Hesse-KasselThe Princess Mary*
5th generation
Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg
6th generation
Princess Alexandra of DenmarkGrand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of RussiaPrincess Louise Margaret of PrussiaPrincess Helen of Waldeck and PyrmontPrincess Thyra of Denmark
7th generation
Princess Victoria Mary of TeckPrincess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife*Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-HolsteinPrincess Victoria Louise of Prussia
8th generation
Lady Elizabeth Bowes-LyonLady Alice Montagu Douglas ScottPrincess Marina of Greece and Denmark
9th generation
Birgitte van Deurs HenriksenKatharine WorsleyBaroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz
10th generation
Lady Diana SpencerCamilla ShandSarah FergusonSophie Rhys-Jones
11th generation
Catherine MiddletonMeghan Markle
*also a British princess in her own right
Princesses whose titles were removed due to loss of husband's eligibility or divorce are shown in italics.
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European royal families
Reigning
BelgiumDenmarkLiechtensteinLuxembourgMonacoNetherlandsNorwaySpainSwedenUnited Kingdom
Non-reigning pretenders
AlbaniaAustria-HungaryBulgariaFrance BourbonOrléansBonaparteGeorgiaGermanyGreeceHanoverItalyLithuaniaMontenegroPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSerbia
Categories: British familiesBritish royal familyCulture of the United KingdomBritish monarchy