Why are Beatrice and Eugenie princesses but not Zara?
PRINCESSES Beatrice and Eugenie are the daughters of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.
They are the granddaughters of the late Queen Elizabeth II and nieces of King Charles III.
Why are Beatrice and Eugenie princesses?
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have their titles thanks to a centuries old tradition.
Their great-great-grandfather, George V, issued a Letter Patent in 1917.
It reads: “The grandchildren of the sons of any such sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of dukes of these our realms.”
George V’s patent says that the Monarch’s grandchildren can hold Prince or Princess royal titles.
Because their father, Prince Andrew, is Queen Elizabeth’s son, they have the title Princess.
Zara Tindall does not have the title princess as she is descended from the female line.
Her familial connection to the crown is through her mother Anne, Princess Royal.
Princess Eugenie’s official title was Her Royal Highness, Princess Eugenie of York, before her 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank.
She is now known as Her Royal Highness, Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank.
Beatrice married Italian property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a private ceremony at Windsor Castle in July 2020.
Beatrice became an Italian ‘contessa’ (countess) or ‘Nobile Donna’ (noblewoman) upon their marriage, explains the Express.
Edoardo’s dad, Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi is descended from Italian aristocracy, it adds.
Count Mozzi said: “Edoardo is the only male descendant taking the family into the next generation.”
The Queen stepped in ahead of Kate’s birth to George to issue a Letters Patent to ensure all the Cambridges’ children would have fitting titles.
This is because according to King George V’s Letters Patent, an older sister would not be a princess but a younger brother would be a prince.
But Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie, wasn’t automatically entitled to the Prince title, as he is not the child of a future monarch.
Being a prince or princess does not automatically mean royals have police protection.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s security is no longer paid for by the taxpayer.
Are Beatrice and Eugenie in line to the throne?
The Royal Family has grown a lot in the last few years with over 10 Royal babies since 2010.
The most recent Royal birth was Ernest Brooksbank, son of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, in 2023.
So what does the growing clan mean in terms of succession?
Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II, her son Charles became King Charles III.
Next in line after Charles is his eldest son Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and then his children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Louis does not leapfrog his sister Charlotte in the line of succession after the law favouring male heirs was changed.
Prince Harry – who was third in line to the throne in 2013 – is now sixth in line behind his nieces and nephews.
Meghan and Harry’s two children are sixth and seventh in line to the throne.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is bumped down the line to eighth.
His and Sarah Ferguson‘s first-born girl, Beatrice, is ninth in line, with her sister Eugenie eleventh in the succession list.
Do Beatrice and Eugenie have children?
Princess Beatrice and her husband property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi had their first child in 2021.
Their daughter Sienna Mapelli Mozzi was born in September and was the Queen’s 12th great-grandchild.
Princess Beatrice is also step-mum to her husband’s son Christopher Woolf from a previous relationship.
Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank have two children together.
They welcomed their son August Brooksbank on February 9, 2021, and then Ernest Brooksbank on May 30, 2023.