How Many Princesses Are in the Royal Family and Is Meghan on the List?

Since Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022 the question of royal titles has been debated by followers of the royal family.

Here, Newsweek looks at which British royals hold the titles of princess, from duchesses who stepped down as working royals, to King Charles III's granddaughters and little-known cousins.

What Makes a Royal a Princess?

"Princess" is a gendered term denoting the senior royal status of certain female members of the royal family related to the monarch. There are blood princesses and princesses by marriage. Only certain blood members of the royal family are entitled to use the princess title, with those eligible being strictly limited by protocols laid out by King George V in 1917.

Prior to 1917, female members of the royal family legitimately born of blood princes (princes descended from monarchs) were entitled to use the style of princess. In 1917, during World War I, George V streamlined the monarchy, which had many German relations and titles. This streamlining included the restriction of those calling themselves princes and princesses associated with the British crown.

George's convention stated that only the monarch's children and grandchildren (by male heirs) could use the titles of prince or princess, along with the style of His or Her Royal Highness. In addition to grandchildren, the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales was also allowed to bare the style.

In 2013, Queen Elizabeth changed the rule to allow all children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (at the time, Prince William) to be a prince or princess. This is why William and Kate's children were princes and princess from birth, unlike Prince Harry's children who had to wait until their grandfather (King Charles) became king to acquire their titles.

As was the case historically, women who legitimately marry princes are also automatically entitled to use the title of princess. If they do, they follow the title with the name of the husband from whom it is taken.

How Many Princesses Are in the British Royal Family?

There are currently 13 royal women entitled to use the title of princess. Of the 13, five are considered "working royals". These members of the family undertake official duties on behalf of King Charles and before him, Queen Elizabeth II.

Which Princesses Are Working Royals?

The Princess of Wales

When Kate Middleton married Prince William in 2011 she assumed the title of Princess William of Wales. She also took on a list of other titles, among them, Duchess of Cambridge.

As a royal duke is higher in the order of precedence than a prince, this title takes precedence, so Kate was known by the higher title of Duchess of Cambridge rather than Princess William.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III made William the new Prince of Wales, thus also making Kate the new Princess of Wales. These are the most senior titles held by members of the royal family after those held by the king and queen themselves, meaning William and Kate are officially referred to as Prince and Princess of Wales on formal occasions.

The Princess Royal

Princess Anne, the eldest daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and younger sister to King Charles III was a princess from the day she was born, being at the time the granddaughter of the monarch, King George VI.

In 1987, the princess was given the more senior title of Princess Royal. This title can be given by the monarch to their eldest daughter. There can only be one Princess Royal at any one time and is for life, so the title will not be free to be used again until after Anne's death.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh

Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh is the wife of King Charles III's youngest brother, Prince Edward. When she married in 1999, she took on the titles of HRH Princess Edward and also Countess of Wessex. She was known until 2023 by the Countess of Wessex title.

In 2023, King Charles made Edward a royal duke by bestowing upon him the title of Duke of Edinburgh which had been held by their father, Prince Philip. Since then, Sophie has been known as the Duchess of Edinburgh.

Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester

Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester became a princess when she married Prince Richard of Gloucester, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1972.

She was known as Princess Richard of Gloucester until her husband inherited the title of Duke of Gloucester from his father in 1974. The duchess undertakes work on behalf of the crown and lives with her husband at Kensington Palace.

Princess Alexandra of Kent

Princess Alexandra of Kent was born a princess, being the granddaughter of King George V through his youngest surviving son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.

Alexandra has kept her princess title throughout her life, adding on the suffix of "The Hon. Lady Ogilvy" when she married Scottish aristocrat, the Hon. Angus Ogilvy, in 1963. The princess, along with the other working royals, was present at the coronation of King Charles III in May.

Which Princesses Are Non-Working Royals?

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

Meghan Markle became a princess when she married Prince Harry in May 2018. She became Princess Henry of Wales, in addition to taking on other titles, including the more senior of Duchess of Sussex.

Since her marriage, Meghan has been known by her Duchess of Sussex title, but she is still a princess and this remained unchanged when she stepped down from her working role within the monarchy and moved to the United States in 2020.

Princess Lilibet

Prince Harry and Meghan's daughter Princess Lilibet was not born a princess. She took on this title when her grandfather, King Charles III, became king, per the George V convention.

The first use of the title came in March 2023, when the couple announced that their daughter had been christened. When asked about the decision to use the titles, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said: "The children's titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became Monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace."

Princess Charlotte of Wales

Prince William and Kate Middleton's daughter, Charlotte, has been a princess since birth, after Queen Elizabeth II's amendment to the George V convention to allow for the children of the heir to the throne's heir to rank equally among their siblings.

Charlotte will be entitled to use the title for life, as will her cousin, Lilibet. There is the possibility that Prince William, when king, could elevate Charlotte to the title of Princess Royal in the event of Princess Anne's death.

It is not yet known if Charlotte will become a working royal, with no decision in this matter expected to be taken until she has reached adulthood.

Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York

Beatrice and Eugenie—the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson—have held their princess titles from birth, known as Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie of York, taking the suffix from their father's Duke of York title.

The princesses do not undertake work on behalf of the monarch, though do pursue charitable and philanthropic work in a private capacity alongside their individual careers.

Their titles were unaffected when Andrew retired from his public roles and was stripped of his patronages in the wake of denied sexual abuse allegations in 2022.

Katherine, Duchess of Kent

Katherine, Duchess of Kent became a princess when she married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1961.

Known throughout her public life as the Duchess of Kent, Katherine stepped down as a working royal in 2002 with permission from the queen. Thereafter, the royal took up a job teaching music in a public school.

The Duchess has largely retired from making public appearances. She did not attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral or King Charles' coronation.

Princess Michael of Kent

Princess Michael of Kent became a princess when she married Prince Michael of Kent, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1978. Prince Michael is not a duke, with prince being his highest title.

Princess Michael is known for the number of controversies she has been connected with, most notably for her wearing of a brooch deemed racially insensitive to attend a Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace in 2017. The lunch was the first to be attended by Meghan Markle, the first biracial senior royal to marry into the family.

Lady Louise Windsor

Lady Louise Windsor is the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

Edward and Sophie decided not to use the prince or princess titles for their children, though they still have them as their birthright.

In a 2020 interview with the Times of London, Sophie explained: "We try to bring them up with the understanding that they are very likely to have to work for a living. Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but it's highly unlikely."

Louise turned 18 in November 2021 with no announcement about a change of title being made. If she were to use her princess title, Louise would likely be styled: Princess Louise of Edinburgh.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.