Duchess of Cornwall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Duchess of Cornwall
Coat of arms of the Duchess of Cornwall
Incumbent Camilla Parker Bowles since 9 April 2005
Style	Her Royal Highness Ma'am
Residence	Clarence House
Inaugural holder	Joan of Kent
Website	princeofwales.gov.uk

The Duchess of Cornwall is a special title given to the wife of the Duke of Cornwall. This title is not something you inherit directly. Instead, it's usually held by the wife of the British monarch's oldest son and future king.

The current Duchess of Cornwall is Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. She received this title on April 9, 2005, when she married Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales.

Before Camilla, this title was mostly used in Cornwall, a county in England. This is because the monarch's oldest son and heir is usually known as the Prince of Wales, and his wife as the Princess of Wales. These titles are more commonly used. In Scotland, they use different titles: Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.

A woman cannot be the Duchess of Cornwall on her own. She gets the title by marrying the Duke. This is because only the monarch's eldest son can be the Duke of Cornwall. However, rules about royal succession have changed, which might affect this in the future.

History of the Duchess of Cornwall Title

The very first Duchess of Cornwall was Joan of Kent. People called her "The Fair Maid of Kent." She married Edward, the Black Prince in 1361. Another famous Duchess of Cornwall was Catherine of Aragon. She became Duchess when she married Arthur, Prince of Wales, who was the Duke of Cornwall.

Before Camilla, the most recent Duchess of Cornwall was Diana, Princess of Wales. She was usually known as the Princess of Wales during her marriage. This was also true for most other Duchesses of Cornwall throughout history.

Only a few Duchesses of Cornwall were actually known by that specific title for a short time. These included Caroline of Ansbach, who married the future King George II. She was called "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge" for a few months in 1714. Also, Mary of Teck, who married the future King George V, was known as "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall and York" for a few months in 1901. In both cases, they used the title only briefly before their husbands became Prince of Wales.

How the Duchess of Cornwall is Addressed

When Camilla Parker Bowles married Prince Charles, it was announced that she would be known as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall. She chose not to use the title of Princess of Wales. This was because that title was still strongly linked to Diana, Princess of Wales, who was Prince Charles's first wife.

When her husband became king, it was first thought that Camilla would be called Her Royal Highness The Princess Consort. However, she was legally allowed to be called Queen Consort. In 2018, the announcement about "Princess Consort" was removed from the official website. This meant she would indeed be known as Queen Consort.

List of Duchesses of Cornwall

Here is a list of the women who have held the title of Duchess of Cornwall:

Person	Name	Birth	Marriage	Became Duchess of Cornwall	Spouse	Ceased to be Duchess of Cornwall	Death
	Joan, 4th Countess of Kent	19 September 1328	10 October 1361		Edward of Woodstock	7 June 1376 Husband's death; became Dowager Duchess of Cornwall	7 August 1385
	Lady Anne Neville	11 June 1456	13 December 1470		Edward of Westminster	4 May 1471 Husband's death; became Dowager Duchess of Cornwall; later became Queen Consort as the wife of Richard III	16 March 1485
	Infanta Catherine of Aragon	16 December 1485	14 November 1501		Arthur Tudor	2 April 1502 Husband's death; became Dowager Duchess of Cornwall; later became Queen Consort as the wife of Henry VIII	7 January 1536
	Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach	1 March 1683	22 August 1705	1 August 1714	Prince George	11 June 1727 Husband acceded to throne as George II; became Queen Consort	20 November 1737
	Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg	30 November 1719	17 April 1736		Prince Frederick	31 March 1751 Husband's death; became Dowager Duchess of Cornwall	8 February 1772
	Duchess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel	17 May 1768	8 April 1795		Prince George	29 January 1820 Husband acceded to throne as George IV; became Queen Consort	7 August 1821
	Princess Alexandra of Denmark	1 December 1844	10 March 1863		Prince Albert Edward	22 January 1901 Husband acceded to throne as Edward VII; became Queen Consort	20 November 1925
	Princess Mary of Teck	26 May 1867	6 July 1893	22 January 1901	Prince George	6 May 1910 Husband acceded to throne as George V; became Queen Consort	24 March 1953
	Lady Diana Spencer	1 July 1961	29 July 1981		Prince Charles	28 August 1996 Divorced; assumed the style of Diana, Princess of Wales	31 August 1997
	Camilla Parker Bowles	17 July 1947	9 April 2005			Incumbent