Savvy Secrets On Being A Royal

Lots of interesting tidbits on what the Royals do and why.

1.  Will, Kate, and Harry do not receive grants, but the princes do receive salaries via their military roles. Meanwhile, The Crown Estate belongs to the monarch “in right of The Crown” (currently Queen Elizabeth II), and the property is currently valued at £6 billion . . Repeat: £6 billion. And when the queen passes away, Prince William will inherit the Duchy of Cornwall, which was valued at £763 million in 2013.
2. As explained in our guide to British royal titles, the husband of a female monarch does not get the title of king — instead he’s a prince.
3. Likewise, the wife of a prince will get the title of princess upon marriage, but the husband of a princess will not be called a prince.
4. The title of queen is given in two cases; a queen who rules by her birthright is called a “queen regnant,” as with Queen Elizabeth II, while a “queen consort” is the wife of a reigning king, as Kate Middleton will be.
5. A duke or duchess is a member of nobility that ranks right below the monarch, and princes and princesses will often hold dukedoms. Prince William and Kate Middleton, for instance, are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
6. Just because you have a king or queen as a grandparent, that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily a prince or princess. Grandchildren born to sons of the monarch (like Prince William) get the title of prince or princess, but those born to a daughter (Zara Phillips) don’t automatically get those titles.
7. Members of the British royal family are called His or Her Royal Highness, but in the case of divorce, the nonbirthright royal loses the HRH style, as with Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson.
8. Although they don’t often use a surname, the royal family does have a last name.  Before 1917, they didn’t, but George V changed the family’s name from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the House of Windsor. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth II decided that she’d like her own direct descendants to be distinguished from the rest, so it was declared that her descendants “other than those with the style of Royal Highness and the title of Prince/Princess, or female descendants who marry” would carry the name of Mountbatten-Windsor.
9. Behind Prince Charles, there’s Prince William, Prince George, and then Princess Charlotte will become fourth in line to the throne.
10. Prince Harry, who is fifth in line, has been open about the fact that he isn’t interested in becoming king.
11. If Kate becomes queen, she’ll be the sixth Queen Catherine.

…and a wonderful Queen she will be!