Here's everything you need to know about being a duchess vs. princess‚ including how you can become one or the other ... or even both!
This Is the Difference Between a Duchess and a Princess
Updated on May 29, 2025
If Disney movies taught us one thing, it’s that when you marry a prince, you become a princess. So it may seem strange that when Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle married into the royal family, they both went by duchess instead. Because let’s face it, Princess Kate and Princess Meghan would have sounded so much better.
As we know, Kate has since made it to Princess of Wales, while Meghan is still known as a (nonworking) duchess. The late Diana was also a princess. So how, exactly, do you become a British princess, anyway? And what makes a princess different from duchesses? Turns out, it’s all a little more complicated than expected.
That’s why we asked two royal experts—Wendy Bosberry-Scott, an editor for Debrett’s Peerage & Baronetage, which has chronicled the royal family for more than 250 years, and royal historian Marlene Koenig, author of Queen Victoria’s Descendants—to guide us through the concepts of duchess vs. princess. Read on to learn the difference between these two royal designations, whether you snag your own prince or not.
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What is a princess?
There are two ways to become a princess: You’re either born one, or you marry a prince. “Princess is the title given to the daughters and granddaughters of the monarch,” explains Bosberry-Scott. “Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are all princesses because they were born one.” (Need a quick refresh? Anne is the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, and Beatrice and Eugenie are the daughters of Elizabeth’s son Prince Andrew.)
When it comes to grandchildren, however, the rule set out in 1917 by King George V has a catch: It applies only to daughters of a son of a monarch … or it did until Queen Elizabeth changed it in 2012. “Princess Charlotte was born a princess because in 2012, Queen Elizabeth changed the law to allow all of the children of Prince William to be afforded the styles of prince and princess. Previously, only the oldest son would have been styled as prince.”
Princess Lilibet, daughter of Prince Harry and Meghan, on the other hand, received her fancy title only when Queen Elizabeth passed and King Charles took the throne. “When she was born, she was the great-granddaughter of the monarch and fell outside the ruling set down by George V in 1917,” says Bosberry-Scott.
In the likely case that you’re not already part of the royal household, your only other option is to marry a prince. “The wife of a prince automatically becomes a princess, but she’s not a princess in her own right because she wasn’t born one,” explains Koenig. “The correct title therefore is Princess plus the name of the prince. So, in Kate’s case, she’s officially Princess William of Wales.” Obviously, nobody would ever call her that, so she’s just referred to as the Princess of Wales.
What is a duchess?
“A duchess is the female style of the highest rank of the peerage,” says Bosberry-Scott. “A woman can become one either by inheriting a dukedom, which is very, very rare, or by marrying a duke.”
When Prince William tied the knot with Kate Middleton in 2011, Queen Elizabeth made him the Duke of Cambridge. As a result, Kate got the title Duchess of Cambridge. And when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, they became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, also as per the queen’s decision.
What are the major differences between a duchess and a princess?
When it comes to a duchess vs. princess, it’s mainly about how the women obtained their titles: While most duchesses get their titles by marriage, the majority of princesses are royal by blood. “A duchess is normally the wife of a peer, whereas the princess can be either a member of the family by birth or a woman who married a prince,” says Koenig, stressing that the titles received by marriage can change over time. “Your position is always in relationship to the sovereign, so it switches around when the sovereign changes.” (Or, in other words, when he or she dies).
In daily life, there really aren’t that many differences between a duchess and a princess, though. Both princesses and duchesses carry out official royal engagements, even though princesses might sometimes take on slightly more high-profile events.
Can a duchess become a princess?
Yes, absolutely. She “just” has to marry a prince. The downside, again, is that the wives of the princes will never be officially known as, for instance, Princess Catherine or Princess Meghan. “This is why you have—by birth—Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Princess Charlotte and Princess Lilibet, but—by marriage—Princess William of Wales, Princess Henry of Sussex and Princess Edward of Edinburgh,” Bosberry-Scott notes.
It comes with little surprise, therefore, that the women might prefer to go by their duchess title. “One of the better consequences of royal princes’ given dukedoms upon marriage is that we avoid this archaic way of addressing their wives,” says Bosberry-Scott. And we couldn’t agree more. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, certainly sounds better than Meghan, Princess Henry of Sussex! (And yes, Harry’s real name is Henry, which is a whole other story.)
Can a princess also be a duchess?
Again, yes. As Bosberry-Scott points out, the Princess of Wales is also the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge and the Duchess of Rothesay. While William received the first title as a wedding gift from the queen, the later two were added when Charles became king. That being said, William and Kate rarely use all these titles. Going as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is generally their first choice, on the rare occasion they don’t just go by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
How does a princess or duchess receive the title?
“If the woman is a daughter or granddaughter of the monarch, she will become a princess upon birth, provided her father is the son of the monarch,” explains Bosberry-Scott. But nobody is forced to go by princess. Bosberry-Scott mentions Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, as an example: “She is a princess by birth, but it was decided that she would use the style of an earl’s daughter.”
Others, who are not princesses by birth, could be awarded a title, but it’s their choice if they take it or not: “A daughter of a daughter of the monarch, such as Zara Tindall, may at any time be offered a title by the monarch,” adds Bosberry-Scott. “But she, and her parents, are freely able to decline, as the Princess Royal (Princess Anne) did when she was offered titles for her children.”
Is a duchess higher than a princess?
No. “A princess usually outranks a duchess,” says Koenig.
But there are certain exceptions, as Bosberry-Scott notes: “If a duchess and a princess by birth attend a function, the princess is the higher rank in precedence. However, if the duchess attends the same function with her husband, who is also a prince, then the duchess takes precedence. Her status is linked to her husband’s. This might not sound very much like the 21st century, but it’s just the way it has always been in the royal family.”
Is Meghan Markle a princess or just a duchess?
Meghan Markle is technically a princess because she married a prince. However, just like Kate isn’t officially Princess Catherine but Princess William of Wales, Prince Harry’s wife is not Princess Meghan. Meghan went by Duchess of Sussex after her wedding, but she surprised the public when she referred to herself simply as Meghan Sussex in her Netflix series With Love, Meghan.
While this may have raised some eyebrows, there’s nothing wrong with using your royal title as a surname, according to Debrett’s: “This is in line with the time when Prince Harry used Wales as his surname whilst serving in the army, to reflect that he was the son of the (then) Prince of Wales. Now that he is the Duke of Sussex, his wife and children can, and do, use Sussex as a surname.”
Another prominent example: Prince George was known simply as “George Cambridge” when he entered prep school. The reason in his case? His parents wanted to avoid a massive fuss around his classmates.
Why was Diana a princess after her wedding but Kate was a duchess?
“Diana was immediately Princess of Wales because it was her husband’s most senior title,” explains Koenig. Kate, on the other hand, went by duchess after her husband became a duke on their wedding day. When Kate’s father-in-law took the throne, William became the heir, and Charles confirmed he was to be Prince of Wales, which “allowed Catherine to be styled Princess of Wales,” says Bosberry-Scott. “If the king had not conferred the title upon his son, then she would have remained as the Duchess of Cambridge.”
Camilla, technically, also became Princess of Wales when she finally married Charles. But, as Koenig points out, the now-queen decided to go with Charles’s second rank instead and remain Duchess of Cornwall. This, she thinks, was because “unlike now, Camilla wasn’t very popular at the time [and] probably wanted to avoid further comparisons with Princess Diana.”
Where does the title of duke come from?
Let’s not forget the dukes! The title of duke, according to Bosberry-Scott, is derived from the Latin dux, meaning “a leader.” And it originally signified sovereign status. For example, William the Conqueror was the Duke of Normandy. It was not adopted as a peerage title until 1337, when King Edward III conferred the Dukedom of Cornwall upon his eldest son, the Black Prince. A prince by birth is usually named a duke either shortly after coming of age or upon his marriage—which is what happened with Prince William. And now you know!
Additional reporting by Juliana LaBianca.
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Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of stories on the British royal family, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating facets of the monarchy. We regularly cover topics including the latest royal news, the history and meaning behind time-honored traditions, and the everyday quirks of everyone’s favorite family members, from Queen Elizabeth’s daily snack to Prince William’s confessions about his home life. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on the difference between a duchess vs. princess, Astrid Hofer tapped her experience as a London-based journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering topics including the British royal family. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Wendy Bosberry-Scott, royal expert and editor of Debrett’s Peerage & Baronetage; email interview, May 2025
- Marlene Koenig, royal expert and author of Queen Victoria’s Descendants; Zoom interview, May 2025
- Debrett’s: “HRH and prince/princess”
- Debrett’s: “The royal surname”
- Royal.uk: “Titles announced for Prince William and Catherine Middleton”
- Royal.uk: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex”
- British Vogue: “Much ado about naming: The ‘Meghan Sussex’ drama, explained”
- The Guardian: “Prince George arrives for first day at £18,000-a-year prep school”
