Who's held the Princess of Wales title throughout history and who will hold it in the future?

The Princess of Wales title has been held by a number of women over the past century, here are some of the key historic figures who have been called the Princess of Wales.

• The Princess of Wales title has just been passed from Camilla Parker Bowles to Catherine Middleton.
• As the title is back in use, here is a reminder of some of the other women who have held this important title.
• In other royal news, Buckingham Palace releases a statement on The Crown ahead of Charles and Diana divorce scenes, it's 'drama not a documentary'.

Catherine of Aragon

The first of Henry VIII's six wives, Catherine of Aragon, is a well known historical figure in the British Royal Family. The former Queen was also once the Princess of Wales from 1501 until 1502, when she was married to King Henry VIII's elder brother.

Henry VIII's older brother, Arthur, the Prince of Wales, died after just a year of marriage to Catherine. This then meant that the royal widow was then betrothed to her late husband's younger brother, Henry.

Alexandra of Denmark

Alexandra of Denmark was the Princess of Wales from 1863 until 1901. The Princess married Albert, the Prince of Wales and heir to Queen Victoria's throne. When his mother died in 1963, he became King Edward VII and the Prince of Wales title then passed to the next heir apparent, George V, making his wife Mary Teck, the Princess of Wales.

Alexandra of Denmark held the title for 38 years, which was the longest anyone has ever held this title.

Princess Diana

Princess Diana is probably the person who is still most commonly associated with the Princess of Wales title. The Princess married Charles, the Prince of Wales in 1981 and was divorced in 1996. 

For those 15 years, Diana was known as the Princess of Wales because of her marriage to the heir to the throne. 

Camilla Parker Bowles

Camilla Parker Bowles, the current Queen consort, used to have claim to the title, the Princess of Wales. Camilla married the then Prince of Wales in 2005 and from that point onwards had the opportunity to use title. 

However, the public's association with the previous Princess of Wales, Diana, was so great that the decision was made that Camilla would be known as the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess title would be retired with Diana.

Catherine Middleton

Bringing back the Princess of Wales title, Kate Middleton, the former Duchess of Cambridge has used the Princess of Wales title since the death of the Queen on September 8, 2022.

The Queen's death meant that Prince Charles became King Charles III and his title as the Prince of Wales passed onto the next heir to the throne, Prince William. This meant that his wife, Catherine, then became the new Princess of Wales. The first woman to publicly hold the title since the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

The future Princess of Wales

Prince George's position in the royal line of succession suggests that at some point, he will become the Prince of Wales, a title that is given to the first heir to the throne. This will only take place once King Charles III dies and Prince William becomes King William. 

If Prince George is married to a woman when his father dies, his wife will become the Princess of Wales. However, as the Prince is only 9 years old at the moment, it is impossible to predict who will be the Princess of Wales after Princess Catherine.