This is in reference to a bio on Princess Margaret that I just saw.
I can understand why Princess Margaret would have to defer to Prince William, and maybe Prince Harry. But why does she have to curtsey to Prince Edward’s wife, (as Jones pointed out, a former used-car salesman’s daughter)? And by virtue of the more modest title that Prince Edward was given, his wife is only a Countess.
Shouldn’t a Countess always have to defer to any Princess?
And, incidentally, it seems like everybody in the royal family has to actually curtsey or bow to those of higher rank, except the Queen. Seems like another awful feature of this anachronism.
The order of precedence for the Royal Family doesn’t depend on peerage titles (although remember that Princess Margaret was also a countess) nor does it follow the line of succession. The rules instead depend on the individual’s relationship to the current monarch.
The order for men is as follows:
The Sovereign
[The Husband of a Queen Regnant]
The Heir Apparent
The Sovereign’s Younger Sons
The Sovereign’s Grandsons
The Sovereign’s Brothers
The Sovereign’s Uncles
The Sovereign’s Nephews
The order for women is more complicated, because, as acsenray has pointed out, most women take the rank of their husbands. Basically, the wives rank immediately below those female blood relatives who stand in the same relation to the Sovereign as their husbands. This produces the following line-up:
The Queen
The Queen Dowager/Queen Mother
The Princess of Wales
The Sovereign’s Daughters
Wives of the Sovereign’s Younger Sons [=Countess of Wessex]
The Sovereign’s Granddaughters
Wives of the Sovereign’s Grandsons
The Sovereign’s Sisters [=Princess Margaret]
Wives of the Sovereign’s Brothers
The Sovereign’s Aunts
Wives of the Sovereign’s Uncles
The Sovereign’s Nieces
Wives of the Sovereign’s Nephews
If it’s any consolation, Prince Edward will be demoted below William and Harry as soon as Prince Charles becomes King, in exactly the same way that Princess Margaret found herself demoted below Princess Anne in 1952.
As to whether Princess Margaret ever had to curtsey to the Countess of Wessex, I very much doubt it - by the time Sophie married Edward, Princess Margaret had already been confined to a wheelchair.
The order of precedence for the Royal Family doesn’t depend on peerage titles (although remember that Princess Margaret was also a countess) nor does it follow the line of succession. The rules instead depend on the individual’s relationship to the current monarch.
The order for men is as follows:
The Sovereign
[The Husband of a Queen Regnant]
The Heir Apparent
The Sovereign’s Younger Sons
The Sovereign’s Grandsons
The Sovereign’s Brothers
The Sovereign’s Uncles
The Sovereign’s Nephews
The order for women is more complicated, because, as acsenray has pointed out, most women take the rank of their husbands. Basically, the wives rank immediately below those female blood relatives who stand in the same relation to the Sovereign as their husbands. This produces the following line-up:
The Queen
The Queen Dowager/Queen Mother
The Princess of Wales
The Sovereign’s Daughters
Wives of the Sovereign’s Younger Sons [=Countess of Wessex]
The Sovereign’s Granddaughters
Wives of the Sovereign’s Grandsons
The Sovereign’s Sisters [=Princess Margaret]
Wives of the Sovereign’s Brothers
The Sovereign’s Aunts
Wives of the Sovereign’s Uncles
The Sovereign’s Nieces
Wives of the Sovereign’s Nephews
If it’s any consolation, Prince Edward will be demoted below William and Harry as soon as Prince Charles becomes King, in exactly the same way that Princess Margaret found herself demoted below Princess Anne in 1952.
As to whether Princess Margaret ever had to curtsey to the Countess of Wessex, I very much doubt it - by the time Sophie married Edward, Princess Margaret had already been confined to a wheelchair.