Post by Don AitkenOn Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:31:40 GMT, the Omrud
Post by CecePrince Philip is Prince Consort, as was Prince Albert in the 19th
century. Although, IIRC, Philip does not have that title officially
-- but that is the position he holds. The other direction -- when
Mary I married King Philip of Spain, he thought he became a real king
of England, but he was only King Consort and had no actual power. But
that's (at least partly) why Albert and Philip are only princes.
Philip's a prince because he was born as one (twice, in fact). He would
still be a prince even if he'd never met any Queens. I don't believe
there's any specific reason why the husband of a reigning UK monarch
would automatically become a prince.
There isn't. The full story goes something like this.
Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles ahortly before hia
marriage, in 1947, although the validity of these renunciations is
more than a little doubtful. He adopted a new surname at the same
time, it being thought that von
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg would not create the desired
impression in the aftermath of the war (the fact that three of his
brothers-in-law had fought on the German side was bad enough). This
enabled him to be married as "Capt. Philip Mountbatten RN". The next
day he was granted, along with his dukedom, the style of Royal
Highness. He was not made a Prince of the United Kingdom until 1957.
--
Don Aitken
Mail to the From: address is not read.
To email me, substitute "clara.co.uk" for "freeuk.com"
Philip was granted the style and titles of HRH Duke of Edinburgh, Earl
of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich the evening before the wedding. But
all the printing for the wedding had already been done, so none of it
had the titles. Note: he was not made a prince at that time.
A year later, someone mentioned to George VI that his grandchild, the
child of his daughter HRH Princess Elizabeth, would have only the
courtesy titles of a child of a duke; a son would be (by courtesy)
Earl of Merioneth and a daughter Lady [name]. Immediately, the king
declared that Elizabeth's children would be princes and princesses.
Charles was born Prince Charles of Edinburgh (as Elizabeth had been
Princess Elizabeth of York before 1936, and William now is Prince
William of Wales), dropping the "of Endinburgh" when his mother became
Queen.
Philip was called "Prince Philip" for years before he actually got the
dignity of being a Prince of the United Kingdom -- 1957.